The law in Zimbabwe handles your stuff after you die through the Administration of Estates Act. This law gives the Master of the High Court power to oversee everything related to dead people's money and property. The same rules apply to things belonging to kids, mentally disabled people, and people missing from Zimbabwe. These laws also control cash from unknown people you can't find anywhere.
When someone passes away, everything they leave behind becomes what folks call a deceased estate. This includes all money, houses, cars, debts, and anything else they had. The Master of the High Court temporarily holds all this until someone takes charge officially. Most people think heirs automatically get everything right away when someone dies, but that simply isn't true.
The court decided long ago that estates exist as bundles of assets mixed with debts. No estate can think or act because estates aren't people. Only executors can touch this collection of rights and responsibilities. These executors must take control of everything left behind, sell what needs selling, pay all bills, create detailed accounting records, and eventually hand the remaining items to family members entitled by law.
Nothing moves forward with a deceased estate until officials appoint an executor. Every single estate from every person who dies must go through proper channels supervised by that Master of the High Court. The executor serves as an official, unlike any other job out there. They work similar to trustees or curators but have unique powers under Zimbabwean rules.
Executors must behave honestly because they hold positions of trust. They should always act carefully and thoroughly when handling deceased estates. When someone writes a will naming specific people as executors, the court approves these individuals as executors testamentary. For those who die without naming anyone, the Master picks executors after talking with heirs, beneficiaries, and people who owe money.
The main job any executor performs involves liquidating and then distributing everything. First, they gather all assets, and then they pay every bill the deceased person left behind. Finally, they give whatever remains to everyone legally entitled to receive it. An executor finishes their duties once they complete these steps properly. Then, the Master releases them from responsibilities through an official discharge document.
When someone passes away, everything they leave behind becomes what folks call a deceased estate. This includes all money, houses, cars, debts, and anything else they had. The Master of the High Court temporarily holds all this until someone takes charge officially. Most people think heirs automatically get everything right away when someone dies, but that simply isn't true.
The court decided long ago that estates exist as bundles of assets mixed with debts. No estate can think or act because estates aren't people. Only executors can touch this collection of rights and responsibilities. These executors must take control of everything left behind, sell what needs selling, pay all bills, create detailed accounting records, and eventually hand the remaining items to family members entitled by law.
Nothing moves forward with a deceased estate until officials appoint an executor. Every single estate from every person who dies must go through proper channels supervised by that Master of the High Court. The executor serves as an official, unlike any other job out there. They work similar to trustees or curators but have unique powers under Zimbabwean rules.
Executors must behave honestly because they hold positions of trust. They should always act carefully and thoroughly when handling deceased estates. When someone writes a will naming specific people as executors, the court approves these individuals as executors testamentary. For those who die without naming anyone, the Master picks executors after talking with heirs, beneficiaries, and people who owe money.
The main job any executor performs involves liquidating and then distributing everything. First, they gather all assets, and then they pay every bill the deceased person left behind. Finally, they give whatever remains to everyone legally entitled to receive it. An executor finishes their duties once they complete these steps properly. Then, the Master releases them from responsibilities through an official discharge document.
