The late legendary actress, preacher and philanthropist, Susan “Mai Rwizi” Chenjerai, may be turning in her grave as reports emerge of a fierce dispute among her relatives over her estate.
The wrangling
reportedly began as her body lay in the mortuary following her death on July 6
last year after a short illness.
The situation
has become so dire that the home she shared for decades with her late husband,
Lovemore Mubape, is now on the verge of being taken over by Howard Kamuchira.
Kamuchira, who
was raised by Mai Rwizi after losing his mother, is the son of Mubape’s late
sister.
Mai Rwizi and
Mubape met in the early 1970s when they both had children from previous
marriages.
She had six
daughters — Jane, Lydia, Daisy, Martha, Jacqueline and Patricia — while Mubape
also had several children of his own.
After finding
her new love, Mai Rwizi left her home along Fifth Avenue in Mbare to settle
with Mubape at Number 1 Barbra Tredgold Circle, Beatrice Cottages, also in
Mbare.
The two, who
did not have kids together, were married under the Customary Marriages Act.
They both invested in extending and refurbishing the Beatrice Cottages home.
However,
following Mai Rwizi’s demise, the situation has turned nasty amid reports that
Kamuchira, who is claiming ownership of the Beatrice Cottages property, has
evicted Mai Rwizi’s disabled daughter, Lydia, along with two grandchildren.
Narrating their
ordeal, Mai Rwizi’s daughter, Daisy Chenjerai, wept uncontrollably. She
recounted how her mother and Mubape toiled to establish their home.
“It is sad that
all the efforts my mother contributed to developing this home with our
stepfather, Lovemore Mubape, will not count, as someone wants to grab it for
his benefit,” she stressed, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“My stepdad’s
nephew wants full control of the house and he has even successfully applied for
the eviction of my sister and Mai Rwizi’s grandchildren who stayed there.”
Mai Rwizi lived
with her children at the couple’s property for decades. Reports suggest her
husband had a strained relationship with his relatives, who allegedly “treated
him as an outcast”. Furthermore, his own children are currently said to be
living in the diaspora.
However, the
title deeds for the house are in Mubape’s name, which complicates Mai Rwizi’s
family’s claim.
Daisy, who has
been caring for her ailing sister Lydia, expressed shock that Kamuchira wanted
the family evicted even during Mai Rwizi’s funeral wake.
“Howard started
making moves after the death of our stepdad in 2017, wanting everyone there
evicted. He even wanted our mother to be evicted when she was still alive. We
thought he would come to his senses since mhamha once looked after him when he
lost his mother at a young age,” she said.
“He started
making moves during the funeral wake of my mother. He did not attend the burial
despite being raised by her. My mother invested a lot of money in the property
and even gave it a facelift, but someone wants to benefit alone. She died a
bitter woman, as Howard wanted everything in the house and other things she
left, like the farm, church and livestock.”
Contacted for
comment, Kamuchira confirmed the dispute but declined to provide further
details.
“I am aware of
the issue you raised, but at the moment I have travelled to my rural home,” he
responded.
“If you are
from The Sunday Mail, I know you wanted this story for Sunday, but I can only
give you the finer details on Monday. I plead with you to be a bit patient
because I am currently occupied with other matters. I prefer a face-to-face
interview.
“I am very much
aware of what you want, but why can’t you be patient with me? I have all the
data you might need; I have all the papers backing this eviction.”
Mai Rwizi’s
disabled daughter, Lydia, is convinced that Kamuchira will do everything in his
power to take over the house.
“Kamuchira is
full of tricks. He will always use every trick in the book to get his way. We
do not even know where he got all this power to evict because he was not a
child of Mubape,” she said.
“Before our
stepdad died, they did not see eye-to-eye, but now he wants the house and
everything, which is quite unfortunate.”
She also
appealed for legal advice from well-wishers.
“He has been
submitting court applications for our eviction since he was appointed the
executor of the estate. In most cases, we were not served with any papers and
we were shocked to learn from the Messenger of Court that we were supposed to
move out.”
Mai Rwizi, who
was accorded a State-assisted funeral by President Mnangagwa, was hailed as a
great entertainer who left a lasting legacy.
During her burial, Cde Webster Shamu, a ZANU PF Central Committee
member, commended President Mnangagwa for giving Mai Rwizi a befitting
send-off.
He also urged
the family to remain united.
“We do not want
to hear of any estate wrangles after this burial. I urge the uncles and other
greedy relatives to maintain peace within the family. If there are any people
who want to grab your property, tell me and I will take it further . . . ,” Cde
Shamu stressed in his graveside speech at the Warren Hills Cemetery.
Mai Rwizi was
buried next to late musician Zex Manatsa and his wife Stella.
Former Dynamos
legend George Shaya is also buried in the same cemetery.
Her burial was
attended by fellow congregants from The New Gospel of God Church, where she was
a pastor.
However, the
church members are said to have abandoned the family.
“After her
death, we have not heard from the church where she was a pastor at the time of
her passing away. We have alerted the church about the estate wrangle, but they
seem not to care about us,” lamented Lydia.
Mai Rwizi was a
household name in the 1980s and 1990s when she starred in the popular ZTV drama
series “Mhuri yaVaMukadota”.
A favourite
among many, she played her role with finesse.
Her acting
journey began in 1951 when she was a member of the Bantu group.
She later
joined the Marandellas Bush Babies and when she ventured into music, she worked
closely with the late Jordan Chataika, Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi and Zex Manatsa,
among others.
She later
joined Safirio Madzikatire’s Safe Brothers Band in 1969.
She quit acting
in 1984, when she became a born-again Christian.
A God-fearing
woman, Mai Rwizi was hailed as a counsellor, marriage builder and provider who
looked after a large family. Sunday Mail
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