Forit Contracting: US$50 Million Industrial Empire Under Scrutiny Amidst Allegations of Systemic Disenfranchisement
The Observer News Editor
In the high-stakes theater of Zimbabwe’s heavy industry, Forit Contracting—a multi-million-dollar conglomerate valued at an estimated US$50 million—has transitioned from a monument of entrepreneurial resilience to the epicenter of a contentious legal battle. What began as a strategic industrial partnership, rooted in the visionary capital of a late matriarch, has devolved into a protracted dispute over asset stripping, corporate erasure, and the alleged systemic exclusion of rightful beneficiaries from their inheritance.
The conflict, now escalating within the High Court’s Commercial Division (Case No: HCHC65-24), pits the surviving children of the late Juliet Mable Ziki-Kangai against their stepfather and current principal, Mr. Itayi Madziyire. At its core, the litigation seeks to dismantle what legal observers characterize as a “corporate fortress” designed to obscure the foundational contributions of the deceased.
The prevailing narrative surrounding Forit Contracting often credits its expansion to singular patriarchal leadership. However, forensic examinations of the company’s history reveal a different catalyst. Following the demise of her first husband, the prominent businessman Raphael (Snr) Maambiwa Kangai, the late Juliet Mable Ziki did not merely preserve her assets; she deployed them with sophisticated foresight.
In 1994, Ziki injected substantial liquidity—representing her primary “seed capital”—into the nascent Forit Contracting. This was not a passive loan but a strategic investment intended to anchor a 50/50 bilateral partnership. Her objective was crystalline: to establish a robust corporate legacy that would serve as a socioeconomic springboard for her children—Raphael, Takarwisa, and Tirivanhu Kangai.
Tragically, Ziki passed away in November 1998, leaving the stewardship of this vision in the hands of her partner, Mr. Madziyire. In the twenty-six years since her transition, the “sour fruits” of this trust have become evident. The children allege that the very machinery purchased by their mother’s capital is now being used as a tool of their own marginalization.
The surviving children, who are being represented by the esteemed firm Dube, Manikai & Hwacha (DMH), contend that the current administration has maintained a calculated state of information asymmetry. The allegations against Mr. Madziyire, who is represented by the distinguished Professor Lovemore Madhuku, include:
Audit Suppression: A persistent failure to provide transparent financial audits or dividend declarations for over two decades.
The “Airbrushing” of History: Efforts to rewrite the corporate register to reflect sole proprietorship, effectively nullifying the documented 50/50 split established at the firm’s inception.
The Corporate Shroud: Utilizing the “corporate veil” not as a protective mechanism for the entity, but as a barrier to prevent the beneficiaries from exercising their statutory rights.
The result is a jarring disparity: while Forit Contracting operates a vast fleet of earth-moving equipment and secures lucrative industrial contracts, the rightful heirs remain in a state of relative destitution, sidelined from the $50 million empire their mother co-founded.
The Ziki estate argues that the defense is employing a “legal war of attrition.” By leveraging the company’s vast financial resources to trigger procedural delays and “glacial” litigation speeds, the current management ensures that the plaintiffs—who lack comparable liquidity—are exhausted by the sheer cost of prolonged battle.
”When the heavy machinery of the law moves slower than the earth-movers it seeks to regulate, the vulnerable are inevitably crushed within the gears,” remarked Raphael Kangai (pictured), the eldest son.
This case has transcended a private family grievance; it is now a significant litmus test for the Zimbabwean rule of law. It raises a fundamental question for the national investment climate: If a mother’s documented, high-value investment can be commandeered through administrative obfuscation, what security exists for any shareholder within the jurisdiction?
The heirs are formally appealing to the Master of the High Court, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to transition from spectators to active investigators. There is a palpable concern regarding asset externalization, where the intrinsic value of Forit Contracting may be “bled dry” or moved to offshore jurisdictions while the domestic litigation remains stagnant.
To restore corporate integrity, the following mandates are being sought:
Forensic Share Audit: An independent, third-party verification of the share register to restore the 50/50 equity split.
Immediate Dividend Release: Application of the principle of equity to release a portion of accrued profits, enabling the children to sustain their legal representation.
Judicial Oversight on Litigation Pace: An investigation into the “procedural stagnation” at the Commercial Court to ensure that financial influence is not compromising the speed of justice.
Forit Contracting was built on a foundation of vision and marital covenant. If the state fails to intervene, it sends a chilling message to the private sector that the rights of orphans and minority shareholders are “fair game” for corporate predators.
As the High Court prepares to deliberate, the Kangai children remain steadfast. They are not merely seeking a payout; they are seeking the restoration of a mother’s legacy. The heavy machinery of the law must now be deployed with precision to ensure that the ground Forit moves is finally the solid, equitable ground of justice.
