By Judith Nyuke
An inheritance battle has turned nasty after a Harare woman took her mother to court accusing her of forging her late father’s signature before selling US$120,000 worth of property she inherited through his will.
Auxillia Muguto appeared before magistrate Francis Mapfumo charged with fraud.
The matter was remanded to 4 November 2025 to trial commencement.
The complainant in this case is Tafadzwa Muguto.
According to court papers, the accused person in this matter is the biological mother of the complainant.
State prosecutor Heather Muwokoto alleges that in 2013, Tafadzwa’s late father Kirisimusi Timothy Muguto subdivided his 6,000 square meter property (Lot 2 of 11 and 12 Powel Road, Parktown) and gave equal portions to his three children: Tafadzwa, Stanlous and Kudzanai.
The complainant subsequently took occupation of her portion and built a six-room cottage.
Kirisimusi Timothy Muguto passed away on February 7, 2017.
When his will was read at the Master of High Court’s office, the estate was divided: a house in Seke went to his sibling Finos Muguto, a house in Chivhu went to his sister Phillipa Muguto, and the 6,000 square meter property (Lot 2 of 11 and 12 Powell Road) was confirmed to be subdivided equally among his three children, including the complainant.
It is the State’s case that on 24 August 2024 Tafadzwa was served with an eviction order in which Realtor Ville Real Estate were claiming ownership of the property (Lot 2 of 11 and 12 Powell Road, Parktown, Waterfalls) and indicated that her mother had sold the property to them.
When Tafadzwa requested a copy of her late father’s will from the Master of High Court, she reportedly discovered that her mother had forged a will and lodged it with the Master’s Office replacing the original document her father had filed.
After the signature on the submitted will was found to have different characters from the deceased’s genuine signature, forensic investigations confirmed the forgery, which led the Master of High Court to accept the fraudulent document and allowed the accused to sell the complainant’s property, resulting in her subsequent arrest.
Due to Muguto’s actions in disposing of the property, Tafadzwa suffered a loss of US$120,000, and nothing was recovered.
