SIBLINGS BRAWL ERUPTS IN COURT ROOM OVER LATE BROTHERS ESTATE
THE death of a son in the Chibutu family has ignited a family feud of epic proportions, erupting in the Matero Local Court.
Sylvia Chibutu, a 45 year old businesswoman and devout Seventh-Day Adventist, accused her younger brother, Steward, a Pentecostal believer, aged 40 of unleashing a verbal machine gun worthy of a “World War Three” battlefield full on insults.
The dispute arose from attempts to administer their late brother’s estate.
Sylvia claimed Steward held a secret meeting with lawyers and another sibling to discuss selling assets, but when she, as an administrator, arrived to participate, her presence was deemed unnecessary by Steward.
This, according to Sylvia, sent Steward’s temper into a volatile spin, his words turning as potent as the infamous Southern Province concoction of shoe polish and spirits called Chijabi – a potent homemade liquor.
Sylvia further alleged that Steward’s aggression escalated, following her to their younger sister’s house where she was resting.
There, the courtroom heard, Steward unleashed a string of colorful insults.
“He came and started shouting at my younger sister and called me a dog saying the biggest dog is the one from Palabana who is in the house but he did not know that I was hearing him in the house,” she narrated.
Steward then allegedly turned his wrath on their father, hurling stones at his house and accusing all his daughters of being “prostitutes.”
Sylvia claimed, his brother didn’t stop there, calling her a “witch” who not only murdered their brother but also harbored murderous intent towards him.
The final straw, according to Sylvia, came when Steward hounded her while she attempted to obtain court summons, once again branding her a witch.
Steward, however, offered a rebuttal, admitting only to the “witch” accusation.
He attempted to justify this by claiming Sylvia, once a driver, was now mysteriously car-less.
The accused further alleged that Sylvia disparaged his business, of being illegitimate, prompting him to retort that her own business, which had lost vehicles, was the one lacking legitimacy.
“I just called her a which because she used to drive and now she isn’t. she told me that the business I do is not genuine so I said to her that actually the one whose business is not genuine is her who lost her vehicles,” he said.
Steward alluded that Sylvia, fueled by the prayers of his deceased brother’s wife, believed he was responsible for their brother’s death and solely interested in the estate.
The presiding Magistrate, Lewis Mumba, however, was unimpressed. He dismissed the case, highlighting the lack of merit and the fact that the siblings were fighting over property that wasn’t even theirs.
Magistrate Mumba emphasised the court’s role in uniting families, not dividing them, and urged their father to intervene and restore peace.
He further dismissed the accusations as hearsay, as they were not directly addressed to Sylvia but overheard through a third party.
“The defendant did not say it directly to you, but you heard it through a third party. Also, insults is when someone mentions of the hidden biological figures of a person,” said Magistrate Mumba.
The Chibutu family feud appears far from settled. Whether peace can be restored amidst the accusations of witchcraft, canine comparisons, and dubious business dealings remains to be seen.
By Buumba Mwitumwa
Kalemba