Bulawayo man bashes Stepbrother in inheritance rage

A bitter family inheritance dispute in Bulawayo has erupted into violence after a man allegedly assaulted his younger stepbrother over a handful of "ancestral soil," accusing him of trespassing and attempting to seize his late father's legacy.

Nkosilathi Nkosana (38), of Lobenville suburb, is now behind bars after he reportedly slapped and strangled Mlungisi Moyo (24) during a heated altercation linked to long-standing tensions between the two.

Nkosana appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Maxwell Ncube on Friday, facing charges of physical abuse. He was remanded in custody to May 28. He has not yet entered a plea.

According to prosecutor Nyaradzo Tukwa, the incident occurred on the night of April 10 at around 9PM. Moyo had gone to collect soil from outside the family yard at the request of his mother, who needed it for a traditional ancestral appeasement ritual.

However, Nkosana confronted him aggressively.

"He questioned why the complainant was taking soil from his late father's yard," said Ms Tukwa. "When Moyo tried to explain, Nkosana snapped, slapped him on the right ear, and strangled him."

The assault left Moyo with a swollen ear and visibly shaken. The court heard that tensions between the two had been brewing for some time, with Nkosana harbouring suspicions that his stepbrother was plotting to claim the family home — a property Nkosana believes Moyo has no right to, given his lack of direct blood relation to the deceased patriarch.

The matter was reported to the police, leading to Nkosana's arrest.

The case has drawn attention to the emotional and sometimes violent disputes that arise in inheritance matters, especially where blended families are involved and cultural traditions intersect with property rights.