Tutwa Ngulube acknowledged his 14 children born out of wedlock- side chick

Tutwa acknowledged his 14 children born out of wedlock- side chick

THE late Tutwa Ngulube’s side chick Chuma Kuntepa says she and other mothers of the 14 ‘disputed’ children of the deceased, availed his sisters with birth records to prove that their brother had accepted them.

She said the paternity of the said children was put to rest by the Administrator General where the mothers of the children were asked to provide under five cards and birth certificates in accordance with the provisions of the Children’s Code Act, to which the mothers complied.

In this matter Kuntepa has sued the late Ngulube’s sister Tawanda Tafwakose Ngulube and his widow Mupeta Glenda Sokontwe who are administratrix of his estate, demanding that his properties be equally shared among his children.

Suing on behalf of the children as their guardian, Kutepa wants the Court to order that the distribution of the estate to the minors be done under the strict and direct supervision of the Administrator General.

Kuntepa is seeking an order that shares for some beneficiaries should be transferred to the minors.

She argued that the late lawyer’s sisters have been reluctant to distribute the estate yet they were benefiting more from the monthly apportionments.

But in their defense the administratrix said though their brother might have lived like king Solomon, it is difficult to identify his offspring as some women who claim the late lawyer fathered their children had children as young as two months old.

“We begun the process of identifying the beneficiaries under the estate of the deceased as it turned out that the deceased had many children outside wedlock, which were not known to the family of the deceased,” Tawanda and Mupeta stated.

“The process of identifying beneficiaries even became more complicated on account that one woman who claimed that the deceased fathered her child is married and the named child was born during her marriage with her current husband.”

They said they had to consult with lawyers and the office of the administrator general hence the reason they cannot distribute the estate until they are sure about the paternity.

But in reply Kuntepa said the two have deliberately failed to produce before court, accurate information relating to some of the properties.

She said a search at PACRA reveals that Ngulube was a shareholder in various companies, some of which are still active while others are not.

“A simple search at RTSA reveals more motor vehicles listed under the law firm company, and others listed under the names and various companies the deceased has an interest in Sungheti Mining Limited: 500,000 shares, active, Stegafreds Investments Limited, active,”Kuntepa explained.

“T.S.Stores :active, Sonnets Stores limited with 40,000 shares, active, Melodious Sonnets food industries, 4,900 shares , active, Golden Sonnets Hotel limited, 10,000 shares, active, Zambia Mineral Ore and Gemstone Marketing Company limited : 5,000,000 shares, active”

She said the managers of the estate have neglected to secure the late Ngulube’s assets in the past one year since his death in December 2022 and as a result, the estate has lost out on most of the plots from Meanwood Kwamena in Lusaka which were in excess of 40 and the estate has now only been offered 10 plots by Lucho Estate.

“At the meeting with the Administrator General on September 19, 2023, eight of the mothers produced the the relevant documents except for the second respondent,” Kuntepa said.

She claimed that about a K100, 000 that was received from the estate was not accounted for to show how it was distributed to the minors.

Kuntepa stated that Tawanda is still in possession of Ngulube’s properties, an act which amounts to depriving the beneficiaries of the estate of their inheritance which is a criminal offence…

By Mwaka Ndawa

Kalemba