Woman returns after 5-year hiatus to seize hubby's estate

A heated estate wrangle has gripped a family in Mutasa after a woman who allegedly abandoned her ailing husband five years ago resurfaced following his death to stake a claim on his estate.

Norah Maradza, who deserted her now-deceased husband years earlier, returned after his death and began asserting her position as his rightful wife - despite his recent marriage to Melody Nyamunokora in 2024.

The dramatic revelations unfolded at Chief Mutasa's community court last Saturday, where the traditional leader heard how Maradza not only took over funeral proceedings but also reportedly applied for an eviction order against Nyamunokora, who had been caring for the man in his final days.

Nyamunokora, who claims to have married the deceased in 2024, told the court she had been his sole caregiver - tending to his every need, including changing adult diapers and managing his catheter - until his passing earlier this year.

"I married my now-late husband in 2024. He told me he had divorced his wife years earlier due to illness. Maradza never came during our marriage. I nursed him to the end," said Nyamunokora.

She expressed shock at Maradza's dramatic reappearance, saying the woman took centre stage at the funeral, performing traditional rituals typically reserved for a widow, while Nyamunokora was shunned and made to feel like an outsider.

Following the burial, Maradza allegedly began demanding household furniture and took steps to remove Nyamunokora from the homestead. Nyamunokora said tensions escalated when Maradza's daughter, Everjoy Mandeya, turned hostile and began harassing her for not bearing children with the deceased - despite Everjoy herself allegedly being chased from her marital home for the same reason.

"I was insulted, assaulted with burning logs, and threatened until I locked myself in the house out of fear," said Nyamunokora. "Eventually, I was forced to leave temporarily. They offered me US$250 as a thank-you for caring for him — but it felt like a bribe to leave. My husband had told me to stay."

In her defence, Maradza denied abandoning her husband, saying she had been working in Kwekwe and had never divorced him.

"I left for work and returned to find him staying with another woman. We were still married. I never forced her out — she left and locked the house herself," claimed Maradza.

She accused Nyamunokora of selling her property and building materials, asserting her right to return to her husband's home as the mother of his four daughters.

Her daughter, Everjoy, backed her mother's claims, describing Nyamunokora as "a stepmother from hell" who excluded her from household activities.

Chief Mutasa, however, expressed concern over the pattern of women abandoning sick husbands and returning posthumously to claim property.

"This is another sad example of that trend," he said. "Nyamunokora was married to the deceased, cared for him, and lived with him until his death. She has a right to the estate."

Chief Mutasa concluded that the matter was now beyond traditional jurisdiction as it was before the magistrates' court and advised both parties to await the outcome of the legal proceedings before returning to his court if necessary.