BIRTHRIGHT UNDER SIEGE: NEPHEW DISPLACES MOTHERS FAMILY , DESTROYS SANGOMA GRAND FATHERS HARDWARE, BARS THE FAMILY FROM PERFOMING RITUALS AND SPRUCING GRAVES.

What was once a revered healing shrine where the sick sought relief, elders consulted ancestral spirits and generations gathered to honour their forefathers has today become a silent battlefield, with a bitter inheritance dispute threatening to erase the legacy of one of Chiwundura's celebrated traditional healers.

For nearly a decade, the Dulula family of Gumbure Village under Chief Chiwundura has been embroiled in a fierce fight over their ancestral homestead, a dispute that they say has robbed them not only of land, but of their identity, history and sacred heritage.

At the centre of the dispute is Milton Dulula, who insists that the property belonged to his forefathers and served as the spiritual headquarters of a renowned traditional healer whose reputation stretched across Midlands Province.

"Our grandfather was not an ordinary man. People travelled from Zhombe, Lalapanzi and surrounding areas seeking healing. Everything that made him who he was remained at this homestead. The sacred kitchen housed his divining bones, snuff horns, clay pots and every traditional healing instrument. That hut was more than a building ,it was our church, our hospital and our court. Today all that heritage has been scattered," Dulula said.

He alleges that the dispute erupted after Leyard Mashiri Nkiwane, whom he describes as the son of his paternal aunt, laid claim to the ancestral homestead despite having allegedly grown up away from the family home.

"Our concern has never been personal hatred. We are defending our bloodline. According to our customs, inheritance follows lineage. When family structures are not properly respected, future generations can lose their heritage overnight. This is why our elders always safeguarded ancestral homes so that descendants would never be displaced from their own birthright," Dulula said.

He said what pains him most is that the destruction of the family's spiritual centre has continued while court orders have prevented him from accessing the property.

"Since 2016 we have watched helplessly as the traditional kitchen collapsed. That structure carried generations of history. Today I cannot even enter the homestead to clean the graves or erect tombstones for my ancestors because I have been barred from going anywhere near the place. Imagine being declared a trespasser at your own ancestral home while your forefathers lie unattended. How do you honour your ancestors when you are forbidden from reaching them?" he asked.

Dulula further alleged that an overnight church gathering was later conducted at the homestead, an act he believes desecrated sacred ground and further disturbed ancestral traditions.

"You cannot simply replace one sacred tradition with another without consequences. The spiritual foundation of that place was destroyed. The healing stopped, the sacred instruments disappeared and what generations built has been reduced to ruins," he said.

The dispute has since travelled through traditional and civil justice systems. Dulula maintains that the late Chief Gambiza had ruled on the matter before his death in 2018 and that no appeal was lodged against that decision. However, he alleges that the matter later took a different course after correspondence allegedly issued by the then Secretary to Chief Chiwundura resulted in fresh court proceedings, culminating in a peace order being granted against him.

"My greatest pain is not losing buildings. Buildings can be rebuilt. What cannot easily be restored is the spiritual heritage of a family. Once sacred places disappear, future generations lose their identity. A people without memory become strangers to their own ancestors," he said.

Following the death of family elder Justin Dulula in December last year, Milton has renewed his appeal to the Chief's Council to institute a Commission of Inquiry into the matter, saying only a thorough investigation can restore peace within the family.

"This is bigger than one family. If ancestral inheritance is not properly protected, many families will wake up one day to discover that their birthright has slipped away. We must preserve our customs because they protect our heritage for future generations. My fight has never been about ownership alone. It is about preserving a history that cannot be replaced."

Quoting a Shona proverb that has sustained him throughout the dispute, Dulula said. 

"Bhiza rinoenda kuhondo haritambiri pamuchato. For nine years I have been fighting for my ancestors' legacy. I cannot celebrate while their graves remain neglected and the sacred heritage they entrusted to us continues to disappear." Mr Milton said.

Efforts to obtain comment from Mr Nkiwane and Mr Joseph Chuma were unsuccessful by the time of going to print.