Daughter Tricks Elderly Mother Into Signing House Away, Evicts Her From Own Home

Daughter Steals House From Own Mother, Evicts Her

An elderly woman from Entumbane, Bulawayo, has been left reeling after her own daughter allegedly tricked her into signing away her house. Court records reveal how the mother, who bought the property in 1998, was duped into believing she was protecting her home, only to later face eviction by her daughter.

House Bought In 1998

The Chronicle reports that, according to documents presented in court, Ms Siphiwe Moyo purchased the house in Entumbane from the Bulawayo City Council.

The papers stated:

“The stand was purchased by the plaintiff, and the memorandum of agreement between her and city council was signed on the 29th of January 1998. Whereby the municipality sold and the purchaser purchased stand number 30099/30 Entumbane, Bulawayo, thus acquiring personal rights to the property from the Bulawayo City Council.”

For years, Ms Moyo considered the property her security. But in 2015, her daughter, identified in court as Floid Ngwenya, is said to have hatched a plan to take control of it.

Coerced Into Signing Documents

Court filings detail how Ngwenya allegedly misled her mother into signing papers under the pretext of protecting the house.

The documents stated:

“Upon hearing this, the plaintiff came to Bulawayo as she feared losing her property. The plaintiff was taken to the Entumbane Housing Office, wherein she was coerced into signing papers ceding ownership to the defendant. The plaintiff was forced to sign a letter cancelling the memorandum of sale between her and the municipality of Bulawayo on the 2nd April 2015.”

However, questions were raised about the timing of the paperwork.

“The Town Clerk signed the document on the 13th of May 2015, which makes the dates of the signing of the letter and the authenticity of the document questionable.”

It was also revealed that Ms Moyo was not properly informed about what she was signing. She was simply asked to provide her thumbprint.

“Furthermore, a letter was handwritten and was submitted by the defendant on the 12th of March 2015 and it was purported to have been written by the plaintiff.”

Court Grants Order

After years of distress, Ms Moyo turned to the courts for justice. The court has now ruled in her favour, granting her a legal order of rei vindication. This allows her to reclaim her house from anyone occupying it without her permission.

The order also directed Ngwenya to return ownership of the property within seven days of receiving the judgment, which was handed down on Friday, 5 September 2025.

The ruling brings a temporary end to a bitter family dispute that has left the elderly mother heartbroken.

What Is Rei Vindication?

Rei vindication is a legal remedy rooted in Roman-Dutch law, which Zimbabwe still follows. It gives the rightful owner of property the power to recover it from anyone who is holding it without their consent.

To succeed, the owner must prove three things:

They are the lawful owner.
The property still exists.
Someone else is in possession without permission.

It does not matter how the other person got the property — even if they claim it was given to them. If the true owner never legally gave it up, the court can order its return.

In simple terms, rei vindication is the court saying: