The Sunday Mail
Extra Reporter
Master of the High Court Mr Eldred Mutasa is spitting fire after unearthing deliberate deprivation of surviving spouses and children by “bad apples” masquerading as executors.
In an interview last week, he said his office does not condone such fraudulent acts and appealed to beneficiaries affected to directly bring their queries forward as his office had an open-door policy.
Tens of relatives troop to the office of the Master in Harare every working day of the week seeking to have the estates of their beloved belated fairly distributed, but it appears there are “wolves within the flock” who, instead of providing comfort prey on the vulnerable party.
The Master’s remarks came after a file had been singled out and brought to his attention by The Sunday Mail Extra, exposing what could possibly be a huge scam.
“I shudder to think what could be done to poor old widows and young orphans who cannot afford to make the trips into town to check on their files … they risk having their benefits being wiped away at the snap of a finger.
“I am especially concerned that even after the children in this estate had sacrificed to pay all the Master’s fees and the remaining obligations are not yet overdue, the executor in this case arms himself with a right to sell the property without the consent of my office.
“We devote our time and resources to educate the country on how deceased estates and inheritance are handled, but our efforts can easily be destroyed by these criminally-aligned acts.
“Such unscrupulous executors are making people bear unbearable pain and must not be entertained at any cost. It is totally unacceptable. My office is certainly going to take action,” he promised.
