By Dorrothy Moyo | In a disturbing human rights volation, there was chaos when the daughter of the late Edward Nyanyiwa also known as Eddies Pfugari was forced to languish in a police cell for a second night, after being accused by a stepbrother of forging her father and mother’s marriage 1960s certificate.

The small house son, recently popped out of South Africa and started wrestling the late businessman’s estate from the rightful wife married in the early 1960s, Mildred.

The prominent businessman Mr Pfugari and his wife Mildred had been married for over 40 years before her untimely death. He died several years after her.
Mrs Nyanyiwa’s estate was registered while her husband was alive and was in the process of being finalised at the time of his death.

So why did the stepson wait until both husband and wife had died before coming in to question the marriage?

POLICE OUTLINE:

The police outline reads as follows: The complainant is Edward Nyanyiwa a male adult and a businessman who owns several companies in Zimbabwe. He is son to the late Edward Nyanyiwa (Senior) who died in 2019 and owned several companies including E Pfugari Properties Pvt Limited and Eddie’s Pfugari Pvt Limited. The late Edward Nyanyiwa (Senior) had a polygamous marriage and had five wives including Mildred Nyanyiwa who is the accused’s late mother.

The accused is a female adult aged 54 residing at 38 Sandringham Drive Alexandra Park, Harare and biological daughter to the late Mildred Nyanyiwa who died in 2005. At the time of her death, Mildred Nyanyiwa was on separation with the late Edward Nyanyiwa (Senior). The accused is a step sister to the complainant.
Sometime in March 1980, the late Edward Nyanyiwa registered Eddie Pfugari Pvt Limited with the accused’s mother and they were both directors. Mildred Nyanyiwa later on resigned from the directorship on 30th day of July 1989.
Following the passing on of Mildred Nyanyiwa the accused registered her estate in 2015 under DR 2895/15 and the late Edward Nyanyiwa was still alive by then. The late Edward Nyanyiwa (Snr) was summoned to an edict meeting to chose the executor for the late Mildred Nyanyiwa’s estate and he contested the issue citing that the deceased had neither properties not anything that qualified to be registered as such.
Edward Nyanyiwa (Snr) later on passed away on the 10th day of February 2019 and after his death, an executor was appointed by Master of High Court under DR471/19.
During the period extending from April 2019 to October 2019, the accused tendered fake copies of a marriage certificate between Mildred and Edward Nyanyiwa to Mr Mufara, the legal practitioner with Nyika Kanengoni and Partners legal Practitioners for administration of the late Edward Nyanyiwa’s estate. When the accused tendered the documents, she knew very well that they were fake.
As a result, the legal practitioner tendered the documents to the Master of High Court for administration of estate.
Complainant later discovered the offence and reported the matter to the police.
Investigations carried out were at United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) Church in Kezi where the marriage certificate was purported to have been issued and the records established that the certificate was fake.
Four samples of signatures of W.K Dube was purported to have been Marriage officer was recovered and referred to Questioned Documents Examiner for examination and it was concluded that the documents were not similar and therefore not consistent with the standard signatures of W.K Dube the marriage officer and stated that the questioned signatures were consistent with forgery.