Mujuru’s charred remains were found at his farm in Beatrice after his house was gutted by fire in August.

Nobody knows if Mujuru died before the fire or after the inferno. 

He was interred at the National Heroes Acre at a ceremony attended by thousands of people from all political affiliations.

Family sources said there was now a crisis facing the family regarding the distribution of the estate.

Mujuru’s vast wealth includes shares in diamond companies, farms, mines and other investments worth tens of millions of dollars.

Close family friends yesterday told the Daily News that the crisis is being worsened by several people claiming to be Mujuru’s children from different mothers who are demanding a share of their “father’s” cash.

The close associates said there are serious disputes over the legitimacy of the children who are demanding a share of the huge cake. 

Mujuru is said to have left a will with his lawyers detailing how the wealth should be shared among his children.

“There is a crisis in the family,” said a family source.

“We have a situation where everyone is now pitching up to lay a claim on the estate. Some of the people who are just emerging now are virtually unknown to the family, even to the wife (Vice President Joice Mujuru).

“It is not even clear where they have been as there is no-one to confirm they are really beneficiaries of the estate,” the source said.

The Daily News understands that so far, about 15 children have pitched up at the Mujuru family, all claiming to have been sired by the late retired army general.

“There have been so many children coming through. The hope now is that the will that the late Mujuru wrote, where he explains how his estate should be distributed, will put the matter to rest,” the source added.

It is believed that former Attorney General Sobusa Gula-Ndebele, a close friend of the late Mujuru, is in possession of the will but efforts to contact him were fruitless late yesterday as his secretary said he was out of the office.

Repeated efforts to contact him on his mobile also yielded no results as his phone was said to have been barred for incoming calls.

“The family lawyer has the will,” said the family source. We believe he is still studying the will so that he sees how best he can advise on how the estate can be distributed without causing unnecessary conflict. We depend on his expertise as a lawyer to help solve this puzzle,” the source added.

Mujuru, who is said to have been at loggerheads with President Robert Mugabe and other politburo members over leadership renewal before he died, is reported to have used his influence to wade his way into influential positions in various companies.

Sources close to the family said after retiring from the army where he served close to 10 years as a general, Mujuru embarked on a “business” drive that saw him amass a vast business empire.

Meanwhile, the courts are yet to rule on the way forward regarding a request by the police that an inquest be ordered to investigate the “real” causes of Mujuru’s death.

Police commissioner general, Augustine Chihuri told the state media recently that the matter was now in the hands of the courts for an inquest.

Hopes are high among the Mujuru family that the inquest would help untangle the mystery surrounding the former army general’s death.

Vice President Mujuru still remains unconvinced by reports insinuating her husband’s death was a result of an accident.

The family is understood to have gone beyond the police investigations and solicited the assistance of external and professional investigators to try and unravel what could have happened.

By Daily News