The Zimbabwe Union of Residents and Ratepayers Association (ZURRA) has urged the Government to extend the deadline for finalising deceased estates warning that thousands of vulnerable families could struggle to comply because of the high cost of estate administration.
The call follows a public notice by the Master of the High Court directing beneficiaries, executors, administrators and other interested parties to conclude registered deceased estates by 31 July 2026.
While welcoming efforts to reduce the backlog of unresolved estates, ZURRA said many families faced financial barriers rather than a lack of willingness to comply with the law.
In a statement, ZURRA spokesperson Marvellous Kumalo said efficient estate administration was essential for protecting property rights and ensuring beneficiaries received their inheritances without unnecessary delays.
“ZURRA recognises and supports Government efforts to improve the administration of deceased estates and facilitate the timely transfer of inheritances to beneficiaries. Efficient estate administration is essential in promoting legal certainty, protecting property rights and ensuring that beneficiaries enjoy the fruits of their inheritance without unnecessary delay,” Kumalo said.
However, he said consultations conducted by the residents’ body across Zimbabwe revealed that many beneficiaries were unlikely to meet the deadline because of the financial burden associated with administering estates.
“Our consultations indicate that many deceased estates remain unfinished not because beneficiaries are unwilling to comply with the law, nor because executors are negligent or incompetent. Rather, the principal challenge faced by many families is the financial burden associated with estate administration, which includes estate administration fees, valuation costs, transfer costs, conveyancing charges and other related expenses,” he said.
Kumalo said widows, pensioners, unemployed people, persons with disabilities, child-headed households and low-income families were among those most affected.
He noted that many surviving family members continued to occupy inherited homes while struggling to meet basic living expenses leaving them unable to raise the money needed to complete the legal processes.
ZURRA argued that estate administration should not focus solely on clearing pending files but should also safeguard beneficiaries’ rights and protect family homes.
“The objective of deceased estate administration should not merely be the effective closure of estate files, but also the protection of beneficiaries’ rights, preservation of family assets where practical, promotion of access to justice, and safeguarding of residential homes occupied by surviving spouses, children and dependants,” Kumalo said.
The organisation also called for greater transparency over what would happen after the deadline expires.
It said beneficiaries deserved clear information on the legal procedures that could follow particularly amid concerns that the Master of the High Court could replace existing executors with independent professional executors under the Administration of Estates Act, potentially increasing costs for families.
To ease the burden on beneficiaries, ZURRA proposed a number of measures including extending the compliance deadline, introducing flexible payment plans for estate administration fees, amending the Administration of Estates Act to provide greater protection for matrimonial homes and single residential properties occupied by surviving dependants and rolling out decentralised public awareness campaigns across all provinces.
Kumalo said the Government’s efforts to improve estate administration should be guided by fairness and social justice.
“While ZURRA supports efforts to reduce the backlog of unfinalised deceased estates and ensure beneficiaries receive their inheritances without undue delay, such efforts must be guided by the principles of fairness, transparency, accountability and social justice,” he said.
He urged the Government, the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the Office of the Master of the High Court to engage residents in developing practical solutions that balance administrative efficiency with the protection of beneficiaries’ rights and family homes.
