Harare woman seeks legal action against stepson in property dispute
In a family dispute that unfolded in court yesterday, a Harare woman took the step of dragging her stepson to court in an attempt to prevent him from accessing his late father’s house.
Dadirai Kowo applied for a protection order against her stepson, Valentine Mushozhera, citing his alleged disrespect and dishonesty as the reasons behind her decision.
Kowo, a retired teacher, claimed that Valentine had been consistently dishonest towards her since his father’s passing and showed a blatant lack of respect. She further accused him of refusing to carry out household chores, making threats to burn down the house and poison her, and even going so far as to hire people to harm her physically.
“I chased him away at some point because of his behaviour. I need peace,” expressed Kowo, highlighting the strain caused by their strained relationship.
However, Valentine refuted all allegations made against him and offered a different perspective on the conflict. He stated that their dispute originated following the death of his father. According to Valentine, Kowo had requested to exchange mobile phones with him but failed to fulfil her financial obligations in the arrangement. He further claimed that Kowo insulted him and threw his belongings out of the house.
During the court proceedings, Magistrate Sharon Mashavira dismissed Kowo’s application for a protection order due to a lack of substantial evidence supporting her claims of a breach of peace.
