Woman accuses mum of forging late father's will

An inheritance dispute has escalated into a criminal case after a Harare woman was dragged to court by her daughter, who accuses her of forging her late father's signature and fraudulently selling property worth US$120,000.

Auxillia Muguto appeared before Harare magistrate Francis Mapfumo on charges of fraud and was remanded to 4 November 2025 for trial commencement.

The complainant in the case is her biological daughter, Tafadzwa Muguto, who alleges that her mother unlawfully altered their late father's will to seize and sell a property that had been left to her and her siblings.

According to State prosecutor Heather Muwokoto, the alleged offence dates back to events following the death of Kirisimusi Timothy Muguto, who passed away on 7 February 2017.

Court papers show that in 2013, the late Muguto subdivided his 6,000-square-metre property at Lot 2 of 11 and 12 Powell Road, Parktown, Waterfalls, giving equal portions to his three children — Tafadzwa, Stanlous, and Kudzanai. Tafadzwa later developed her portion by constructing a six-roomed cottage.

Upon his death, the late Muguto's will was read at the Master of the High Court's office, confirming the distribution of his estate — a house in Seke to his brother Finos Muguto, another in Chivhu to his sister Phillipa Muguto, and the Parktown property equally shared among his three children.

However, the court heard that on 24 August 2024, Tafadzwa was served with an eviction order by Realtor Ville Real Estate, which claimed ownership of the Parktown property after purchasing it from her mother.

Shocked by the development, Tafadzwa reportedly requested a copy of her father's original will from the Master's Office, only to discover that a different version had been lodged — one allegedly bearing a forged signature of the deceased.

Forensic experts later determined that the signature on the newly submitted will did not match Kirisimusi Muguto's authentic handwriting. The forged document, however, had already been accepted by the Master of the High Court, enabling Auxillia to dispose of the property fraudulently.

Prosecutors say Tafadzwa suffered a financial loss of US$120,000, the estimated value of the sold property, and that nothing has been recovered to date.

Auxillia Muguto denies the allegations, and the case will proceed to trial next month.