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Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
CONTROVERSY continues to stalk the Ndiweni family after a magistrate yesterday granted a protection order to Chief Khayisa Ndiweni’s widow Agnes against her son Douglas whom she described as disrespectful and troublesome.

So bitter is the wrangle that Gogo Agnes Ndiweni has been assigned police officers to stay at her homestead to protect her.

In her initial application, Agnes, 90, stated that Douglas had looted some property left by his father.

“I’m the applicant in this matter. I’m the widow of the late Chief Khayisa Ndiweni . . . The respondent is my 11th child residing a few homesteads from my home. He is disrespectful and troublesome. As Chief Khayisa’s estate awaits settlement, Douglas has already looted some property. His actions are costly and constitute sabotage and socio-economic deprivation. I hereby appeal to the honourable court to grant an interim protection order,” said Gogo Ndiweni.

Douglas is alleged to have looted two tractors, cultivators, plant discs, harrows and building material from his late father’s estate, among other things.

He is also allegedly barring people from installing his father’s successor.

The family resorted to anointing Nhlanhlayamangwe as the new chief after Douglas had blocked the official installation in August.  The protection order was granted in default by the court but Douglas applied for a recession to the order.

“The respondent’s failure to comply with the peace order continues to negatively affect me, and the functions of the office of the new chief. The respondent’s spouse Claudette resorted to shouting abuse and insults at me and the rest of the family late at night. As a result, I obtained assistance from Mbembesi Police Station, three officers are now stationed at my home,” said Agnes in the application.

The application further stated that the three officers had advised the new chief that at least one of them should accompany him during his travels.

“The respondent’s lack of compliance to return my property has negatively affected the functions of the office of the new chief. In the main, functions that require the use of tractors cannot be fulfilled because the said tractors have not been returned,” reads the application.

She added that she needed the tractors to cultivate her Ntabazinduna farms as well as Koce Farm.

In granting the protection order yesterday, Bulawayo magistrate Marlyn Muchina ordered Douglas to return applicant’s property, not to harass her verbally or emotionally.

“Respondent is ordered not to go to complainant’s homestead without her consent,” said Muchina.

In August this year, Chief Khayisa Ndiweni’s last born son Nhlanhlayamangwe Felix Ndiweni was appointed substantive chief of Ntabazinduna following a government order and a traditional ceremony to anoint him.

The appointment came after a row over the succession of the late chief which has seen the late chief’s eldest son, Joram Khayisa, filing an urgent application at the High Court seeking the nullification of the appointment of his youngest brother as the chief.