by Bahle Gama
A file at the office of the Master of the High Court at Siteki has been confirmed to be empty and four distribution accounts were created in the process.
This was disclosed by the Siteki Assistant Master Sigcibelo Magagula after the son of the late Nicholas Vilane who died in 2019 reported to the Commission that their father’s file was empty, and no one knew where its contents were.
“It is true Commissioners, the file is empty, lacuywa. The receipts spoken about are not in there, just quotations only,” Magagula said.
Vilane’s son Mduduzi told the Commission that when he and his mother went to check the file to see whether the co-executor Sipho Mabila had accounted for every property that had been sold, it was found empty.
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He stated that their father left behind a farm, two vans, two tractors, and about 70 cattle that were kept in different areas including Sisa ranch.
Mduduzi stated that Mabila sold the tractors and other farm equipment and when his mother wanted to see receipts, he never provided them.
He also sold cattle and the money was not accounted for either.
“There is a letter from Sisa Ranch that Mabila went to collect the cattle that were kept there, which went to a dipping tank and then to a customer who has an abattoir at KaLanga. However, there were no receipts of the transaction,” he said.
Mduduzi stated that when they wrote a letter to Master enquiring about the transactions, there was no response.
He further stated that he bought one of the vans which was evaluated at E5,000 which he found had already been sold to someone.
It was then concluded that the buyer be given a cow that was valued at E7,000 and would pay the balance.
When the buyer was asked where the E2,000 balance was, he told Mduduzi that it had been paid to Mabila via mobile money.
That money was not accounted for either in the file.
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The Commission asked the Assistant Master who removed the documents from the file, he said he did not know and only found it empty when he arrived.
He stated that before he arrived at the office, Master was Cebile Gwebu who now works at the High Court.
“I only found the complaints and the complications, so we had to start addressing them, so we have a way forward.
It is not only the receipts that are missing, but affidavits and all other relevant documents needed to wind up the estate, including minutes in some instances,” he said.
Co-executor Mabila who was present before the Commission refuted the allegations by Mduduzi and said everything had been accounted for.
Mabila stated that he never took any money from the estate and only knew that money had to be signed for by Master before being released for anything.
“Vele bentekile budlabha in the file. Unfortunately, no one is here to answer where the documents inside the file went,” said Mabila.
