BULAWAYO- A legal battle has erupted over the estate of the late Insiza North MP Farai Taruvinga (Zanu PF), amid revelations that he had four wives at the time of his death.
Amanda Falala, one of his widows who was appointed as the executor of the estate by the Master of the High Court stated that Taruvinga, who died on March 31 this year, only had two wives.
Now the fourth wife has gone to court demanding that the process to choose an executor should start afresh as she accused Falala of fraudulent conduct.
Nontokozo Moyo, who got customarily married to Taruvinga in December last year, said in an affidavit filed at the Bulawayo High Court: “Barely within a week of his demise, Amanda Falala registered the estate of the late Farai Taruvinga on the 7th April 2025… In so doing she stated in the death notice that the late Taruvinga was only customarily married to her and Diana Makina. She repeated this lie in the inventory she did for the estate.
“This was and is plainly false in that she was aware that I’m also a surviving spouse of the deceased together with Nokukhanya Sibanda… In completing the Death Notice, Inventory and signing both, Falala took a deliberate decision to conceal my existence from the Master of the High Court.
“I have no doubt in my mind that this was calculated to ensure that I am left out from benefitting from the estate of the late Farai Taruvinga. In concealing my existence, Falala sought to disinherit me when I am a beneficiary of the said estate.”
Moyo is asking the High Court for a declarator for the appointment of Falala as the executor of the estate to be declared “irregular and a nullity.”
An inventory of the former MP’s immovable properties includes a house in Hillside, a housing stand in Matsheumhlope, a property in Filabusi centre, a housing stand in Bekezela township in Filabusi and a rural home in Skuta, Filabusi.
There are 15 vehicles listed, including a Bentley and two Toyota Land Cruisers as well as a motorbike.
The inventory also lists 32 herd of cattle.
Lawyers say the list is not exhaustive and a fuller inventory will be tabled later in the legal processes.
Taruvinga, who had 12 children according to Falala, is known to have been owning a mine in Filabusi, owned two nightclubs and a modern abattoir.
Moyo has a seperate court application where she is suing Falala for forcing her out of the Hillside home where she and another of the wives Nokukhanya Sibanda lived at the time of Taruvinga’s death. She says Falala also forced her to hand over Taruvinga’s wallet which had $1,800.
In the application for spoilation, she wants her occupation of the property to be restored and the wallet returned to her.
Falala has hit back, insisting that she only knew the two women as Taruvinga’s helpers and nurse aides as he battled cancer.
She said in an affidavit filed with the High Court: “I am shocked at the allegations of Nontokozo Moyo being a wife, let alone a fourth wife. I am not aware of any third wife as well… I however just want to clarify a few things for the sake of
completeness. The late Farai Taruvinga and myself bought this No. 8 Holden Garde property in Hillside sometime in 2016 as a holiday home. Moyo was at that time 17 years old and not allowed to be in a marriage, let alone a sexual relationship.
“I employed Moyo at the request of her parents and this allegation of being a wife is a complete surprise to me…
“My husband had been battling cancer for quite some time and I had upgraded Moyo from being my shopkeeper to my husband’s nurse aid. My husband has at all material times been residing in Filabusi, where he was a Member of Parliament for Insiza North.
“His condition had been on a rapid decline and on consultation together, we resolved that he move to Hillside in Bulawayo to enable him to be closer to medical facilities. I endorsed that he moves with Moyo who was now a personal nurse aid to him and this is just a little over two months ago.
”Thus, Moyo’s stay in our Hillside property was simply to take care of the medical needs of my late husband and not to be in possession of anything including the wallet.”
The matter is pending.
