News / Regional
Mum, daughter-in-law fight over death certificate
02 Jan 2015 at 10:07hrs | Views
A woman and her daughter-in-law are feuding over who should be in possession of a dead man's death certificate and other benefits.
The deceased, Limukani Ndebele, employed at Techno-Expert Construction for 21 years passed away in May leaving stashes of pension money.
Marvis Moda, Limukani's wife said she got married to the deceased in 2009, after his first wife passed away.
According to her, customary marriage gives her authority over her husband's estate.
Moda said they got married customarily in Gokwe. However, they did not have children.
Marvis revealed that the dispute with her mother-in-law, Thema Ndebele, started when Ndebele signed for the departed man's death certificate at Tsholotsho Hospital without notifying her.
Moda said the two had agreed after burial to go to Tsholotsho Hospital to get Limukani's death certificate. However, it later turned out that she had been left out by her mother-in-law.
Moda became suspicious and hurriedly filed court summons to bring her mother-in-law to account for her actions.
"I came to realise that my mother-in-law wanted to grab all my husband's possessions, and thus I acted fast. I worked hard in nursing Limukani at home since no hospital could admit him. I deserve to be compensated for the work I did in caring for my husband," said Moda.
On the other hand, the Ndebele family has labelled Moda a gold digger trying to cash in on the estate under the guise of customary marriage.
The Ndebele family has abandoned their daughter-in-law of six years stressing that she never had children with their son.
The deceased, Limukani Ndebele, employed at Techno-Expert Construction for 21 years passed away in May leaving stashes of pension money.
Marvis Moda, Limukani's wife said she got married to the deceased in 2009, after his first wife passed away.
According to her, customary marriage gives her authority over her husband's estate.
Moda said they got married customarily in Gokwe. However, they did not have children.
Marvis revealed that the dispute with her mother-in-law, Thema Ndebele, started when Ndebele signed for the departed man's death certificate at Tsholotsho Hospital without notifying her.
Moda became suspicious and hurriedly filed court summons to bring her mother-in-law to account for her actions.
"I came to realise that my mother-in-law wanted to grab all my husband's possessions, and thus I acted fast. I worked hard in nursing Limukani at home since no hospital could admit him. I deserve to be compensated for the work I did in caring for my husband," said Moda.
On the other hand, the Ndebele family has labelled Moda a gold digger trying to cash in on the estate under the guise of customary marriage.
The Ndebele family has abandoned their daughter-in-law of six years stressing that she never had children with their son.
Source - B Metro
