INYANGA’S E8M ESTATE: MASTER’S OFFICE REPORTED TO COPS

MANZINI – The Office of the Master of the High Court has been reported to the police for alleged fraudulent activities in a deceased inyanga’s E8 million estate.

The police were reportedly roped, in following allegations that the executrix of the estate of the late Mathanda Zephania Magagula was not consulted when an award of E4 000 was allegedly made to a guardian of a minor who had to benefit from it. The executrix is Phumaphi Magagula. Leading to the authorisation of the aforementioned amount by the office of the Master of the High Court, attorneys from a local lawfirm, on January 27, 2022, are said to have written a letter to the said office, requesting for monies for school-related expenses of the minor (14), from the estate. The lawyers stated that the minor was schooling at Ntondozi Roman Catholic Primary School and from the E4 000, about E1 250 was to be used to procure school uniform, while the balance was for general maintenance. They requested that the money should be paid to Cecilia Fisiwe Ndzimandze (59), of Ntondozi, as the custodian and guardian of the minor.

Bankers

Following this request, the Office of the Master of the High Court reportedly awarded the E4 000 to Ndzimandze through a letter, which was instructing the estate’s bankers to deposit the said amount into her account. However, upon arrival at the bank, Ndzimandze was informed that the executrix of the estate had not signed the papers authorising the release of the money.
She was said to have been requested to get hold of her (executrix) for her to sign the papers. Phumaphi was said to have then approached the Office of the Master of the High Court to enquire on why they were overstepping on their authority and awarding portions of the estate without consulting her.

She subsequently approached the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) for assistance in the matter. At the Mbabane Police Station, Ndzimandze deposed to an affidavit wherein she narrated that in January 2022, she was approached by *Duma while at her homestead at Ntondozi. Duma is a relative to the deceased traditional healer.  Ndzimandze submitted that Duma informed her that the Magagula family was requesting her presence in Mbabane in order to address the issue of maintenance of the minor. “He said I should freshen up quickly with the minor and we did just that. We left with him to the offices in Mbabane, where he said I should sit on the benches while he moved up and down with the officers,” she said.

Ndzimandze said later on, the officers and Duma called upon her to sign certain papers. This, she alleged, was after they had asked her if the executrix was offering maintenance money for the minor, to which she submitted to have responded to the affirmative. In her response, Ndzimandze submitted to have narrated that Phumaphi  had been offering maintenance money for the minor from the instance the traditional healer, who was the father of the minor, passed on. She said thereafter, they requested her mobile phone contact numbers and then Duma offered her E100 for transport. Ndzimandze submitted that on February 4, 2022, she received telephonic communication instructing her to fetch a letter at the Office of the Master of the High Court.

On February 7, 2022, Ndzimandze submitted to have gone to the Office of the Master of the High Court where she collected the letter and proceeded to the bank. At the bank, the guardian said she was turned back as they said they wanted the executor. Ndzimandze said after being turned back, she returned to the Office of the Master of the High Court to report this. She reported that it was then that the executrix was contacted and Phumaphi arrived.

Maintenance

“I was extremely shocked when I gathered that she (executrix) was not aware of the issue about the maintenance money,” she said. Ndzimandze also submitted that on the day she was instructed to collect the letter at the Master of the High Court Office, Phumaphi had offered her maintenance money for the minor. The guardian, in her affidavit, reported that when Phumaphi arrived at the Offices of the Master of the High Court, she requested copies of letters in  the estate’s file; but they refused with them. She submitted that the executrix took the letters forcefully and it was then that she explained to her that there were lawyers representing the minor. Ndzimandze said she did not know the lawyers and had not sought their services at any point. The guardian of the minor supposed that the officers at the Master of the High Court Offices and Duma were behind the alleged trickery. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that the matter was reported. She said it was under investigation.

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