Johane Masowe's sons seek answers on his estate

The sons of the late Peter Jack Masedza, popularly known as Johane Masowe, say they are seeking justice and clarity over what they describe as the disappearance of their father's estate, as a long-running dispute over his burial and legacy continues to unfold.

The family, represented by Magaga and Rueben Masedza, has been engaged in legal efforts to exhume their father's remains from the Gandan­zara Shrine in Rusape, where he was buried following his death in 1973 in Zambia.

However, the planned exhumation was recently halted after the Gospel of God Church International filed an urgent court application opposing the move, arguing that the burial site is sacred and challenging the government's approval.

The dispute has revived long-standing tensions dating back to Masowe's death during the liberation era, when competing claims emerged across several countries where he had established a religious following, including Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The Masowe family says they were denied the opportunity to accompany their father's body for burial in Zimbabwe at the time, alleging that colonial authorities barred them after they were accused of being linked to liberation fighters.

Magaga Masedza has also claimed that the original coffin prepared by the family was destroyed and replaced before burial, while the family was later excluded from key funeral proceedings.

Following the burial, the family says it faced further difficulties, including being forced to leave Kenya in their early twenties and later discovering that their father's assets there had been disposed of without their consent.

A court ruling in 2003 further restricted the family's access to the gravesite, declaring it private property and denying visitation rights.

Despite these setbacks, the High Court is expected to hear arguments in the ongoing matter, while a previous Supreme Court ruling affirmed the family's right to pursue exhumation, stating that such matters fall under government authority in terms of the Cemeteries Act and that no burial site is automatically exempt from exhumation laws.

The case continues to draw attention as it raises complex questions around religious authority, inheritance, historical justice and the legal status of sacred burial sites.