DAUGHTER MISHANDLING INYANGA’S E8M ESTATE – DEPUTY MASTER

MBABANE – The deputy master has told the Judicial Commission of Inquiry that a woman who accused the Master’s Office of mismanaging estate funds was guilty of same.

Deputy Master Lindelwa Magagula yesterday told the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into allegations of malpractice in the Master’s Office that Phumaphi Magagula failed to state that she was the one who was allegedly mismanaging funds belonging to her father’s E8 million estate. Phumaphi’s father was a popular traditional healer and a farmer of Ntondozi. She is the executrix in the estate of her father, Mathanda Magagula, who died in March 2021. According to Lindelwa, the Master’s Office was frustrated at the manner that Phumaphi was handling the estate.

Relatives

She informed the commission that before her father was buried, Phumaphi came to the Master’s Office with some of her relatives to request the master to release more than E100 000 to bury the deceased. Phumaphi, according to the deputy master, claimed that her father had indicated that he did not want to be buried in a casket that cost less than E100 000. Lindelwa said the money was released to them. She said after some time, they returned and requested more money for incidental expenses after the funeral. According to Lindelwa hardly three months after the death of her father, Phumaphi and some of her brothers came to the Master’s Office to ask for E2 million for farming on their father’s farm. She said the master advised Phumaphi, who had letters of administration, to prepare an inventory of Mathanda’s available items. According to Lindelwa, the estate was straightforward, because the deceased had prepared a Will.

Lindelwa said problems began when Phumaphi was requested to prepare the inventory. When Mathanda died, he had E5 million in a Nedbank account, 140 cattle, five cars and other properties. Still, in 2021, the deputy master told the commission that they requested for a distribution account from Phumaphi and she allegedly told them that she was under pressure from her family to have the money released to them. The Master’s Office refused to release the money and Phumaphi took the matter to court. Lindelwa said it was preferable at the time to distribute the assets of the estate than to release what Phumaphi wanted.

Deposited

The court ruled in Phumaphi’s favour, according to Lindelwa, and E1 million was released to a trust account. By refusing to give Phumaphi the money she asked for, said the deputy master, she wanted the money to be deposited into her personal account. “We were not familiar with that. That is not how we work. We were running away from a situation where people would fail to account,” said Lindelwa. Towards the end of 2021, according to Lindelwa, Phumaphi constantly wanted money to be released to her and the Master’s Office turned her down. The deputy master said eventually, Phumaphi prepared the distribution account and the estate was worth E8 million. Phumaphi allegedly went back to the Master’s Office and asked for E650 000 for farming. When the master refused to give her the money, she went to the High Court again. The court granted her application and the money was released to her personal account, said the deputy master.

Lindelwa informed the commission that at the time, the master was busy examining the distribution account that the executor had filed. She said the master refused to give Phumaphi the E650 000, because the available money had been calculated according to the beneficiaries for distribution. The master, according to Lindelwa, would rather Phumaphi waited for the process to be finalised. The distribution account was approved but there were objections. Some were upheld and others rejected, submitted Lindelwa. The deputy master said Phumaphi took the master to court seeking a review of the decision on the objections and the matter is pending in court. She stated that it was usually the beneficiaries who were not satisfied but in this case, it was the executor, Phumaphi. “There are several matters that she took to court. There is the review application that is pending and that is where we are stuck with the estate. Another aspect is that some of the assets have been removed from the farm.” The deputy master told the commission that Phumaphi was not executing her duties satisfactorily.

Wrongdoing

“Every time the master tries to prevent wrongdoing, she runs to court. Her letters of administration expired and she applied for an extension of  time. We have asked her several times to account as to what is in the estate and what was there when the estate was reported. “Are the cattle still there? What about the cars? We have asked her several times to account and she is refusing. She doesn’t want to state how much is remaining in the bank and the other assets.  We have been writing to her but nothing has happened,” said Lindelwa. She submitted that they, as the Master’s Office, were not pleased with the way Phumaphi dealt with the estate of her father. “Too bad, when we try to stop her, those who are above us, the courts, rule in her favour each time she approaches them. We are not happy with how she does things. We are frustrated because the Magagula family expressed their frustration at her.”

The deputy master alleged that Phumaphi refused to co-operate with the Master’s Office. “She is the same person who stood up during Sibaya and accused the Master’s Office of mismanaging estate monies. She failed to state that she was the one who is guilty of the same,” Lindelwa. Judge Maxine Langwenya enquired if the master tried to defend the applications filed by Phumaphi. Lindelwa said they defended all of them and orders were granted against them.

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