Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. THE Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is entangled in a messy family feud over the estate of the late retired Senior Assistant Commissioner Shepherd Gwasira after his children accused the executor of using the law enforcement agents to intimidate them.
The conflict escalated on Wednesday when some police officers from Marimba Police Station, including Inspector Everjoyce Samuriwo, picked up one of the late commissioner’s sons, Munyaradzi Gwasira, from his home around 5am.
The family reported that Munyaradzi could not be located for several hours, sparking fears for his safety.
His brother, Kudzi, told NewsDay that Munyaradzi was only officially confirmed to be in police custody at Marimba Station around 9am.
“We are surprised that Munyaradzi was picked up at his home by Marimba police officers around five in the morning and his wife battled to locate him,” said a distressed family member.
“We tried our best so that he could get access to his lawyers. All was in vain.”
Inspector Samuriwo on Wednesday confirmed that Munyaradzi was being held in the Victim Friendly Unit.
The family’s lawyer, Barbara Kudzayi Mupawaenda of Musara, Mupawaenda and Mawere Legal Practitioners, had earlier said she was unaware of his whereabouts when contacted for comment.
The family alleged that his arrest was linked to its ongoing battle with the executor of the estate, their uncle Zambe Nyika.
They have lodged a formal complaint with the Master of the High Court, seeking Nyika’s removal.
They accuse him of a lack of transparency, particularly concerning rental income from the estate’s properties and of abusing resources at the expense of Gwasira’s surviving children.
“We are unhappy with how the police are handling the matter,” a source within the family said.
“Nyika is now abusing the police to drag the matter, while he benefits financially.”
Gwasira, who died on August 29, 2020, left behind four wives and seven children.
The family is demanding justice and fair distribution of his estate, which includes several properties.
“As a family, we are not happy with the police and the way they are handling the matter,” the family source added.
“We have lodged official complaints seeking the removal of Zambe Nyika as executor due to alleged abuse of resources and lack of transparency.”
Last week, NewsDay’s sister paper, Zimbabwe Independent, revealed how the inheritance feud is tearing the family apart, as Gwasira’s children seek the removal of the executor, citing lack of transparency among other reasons.
Court documents seen by the Zimbabwe Independent show that the children, who were represented by Sheila Gwasira (now deceased), Kudzai Leonard Gwasira and Munyaradzi Walter Gwasira, petitioned the Master of the High Court to have Nyika removed as executor dative of the estate.
The case, registered as DR1429/20: Estate Late Gwasira Shepherd, was heard before the Master of the High Court.
In a ruling issued on September 18, 2024, the Master noted that an inquiry had been convened “to satisfy the Master that Zambe Nyika, the executor dative in the estate, was not fit and proper to continue in the office as executor”.
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