[10:49.34]Section B INTERVIEW

[10:51.20]In this section,

[10:53.28]you will hear everything ONCE ONLY.

[10:55.25]Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow.

[10:58.97]Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview.

[11:01.92]At the end of the interview,

[11:03.89]you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following 5 questions.

[11:08.59]Now listen to the interview.

[11:10.78]M: Welcome to our show.

[11:15.05]Today we’re going to discuss some important questions

[11:18.00]about women and inheritance.

[11:19.97]For example, what happens to a woman when her husband dies,

[11:24.12]and who becomes the rightful owner of his property?

[11:27.62]Is there anything a woman can do to ensure that she receives the property?

[11:32.00]To help us answer these and other questions,

[11:35.17]we’ve invited a lawyer, Mrs. Elizabeth Mutwa, to join us.

[11:39.18]Welcome to the show Mrs. Mutwa.

[11:41.15]W: Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here.

[11:43.56]M: Mrs. Mutwa, let me start by asking you this.

[11:46.84]What are some of the concerns you have about women

[11:50.13]and the inheritance laws that affect them?

[11:52.86]W: Every day I meet women whose husbands are dying.

[11:56.25]These women are afraid that they are going to lose everything

[11:59.86]—their home, their land, their livestock...

[12:03.14]and they believe there is nothing they can do about it.

[12:06.09]That is a terrible, desperate feeling.

[12:08.94]M: Yes, to feel that you are going to lose everything is terrifying.

[12:12.71]W: Of course it is.

[12:13.92]And I’m sorry to say that often a woman does lose everything

[12:17.75]—because the property is taken by her husband’s relatives.

[12:21.58]We call this property grabbing.

[12:24.09]M: Is there any way to prevent property grabbing

[12:27.37]and return property to the woman?

[12:29.23]W: Yes. Women have legal rights to land and other properties.

[12:34.26]But unfortunately, most women don’t know this.

[12:37.11]So they don’t take any action.

[12:39.40]M: You mean women think that the law is against them

[12:42.68]—so they don’t challenge it?

[12:44.32]W: That’s right.

[12:45.20]But again, I want to make this very clear.

[12:47.71]The law is not against women.

[12:49.90]Women have rights to keep property

[12:52.09]—they just don’t know it!

[12:53.84]M: So, it’s important for women

[12:55.81]to understand what rights they have,

[12:57.89]and how the law works.

[12:59.64]W: Exactly. Once they know the laws,

[13:02.04]they can take steps to make sure

[13:04.12]that they keep their home and their land.

[13:06.31]M: Okay, so I guess that when women come to you for help,

[13:10.24]this is one of the things you recommend

[13:11.99]—learn about the local laws.

[13:14.40]What else can a woman do?

[13:15.82]W: I always recommend that a woman do three things.

[13:19.54]First:Discuss the importance of making a will with your husband.

[13:23.95]Encourage him to make a will in the presence of witnesses.

[13:27.45]Number two: Find out if it is possible to register the home

[13:32.04]where you live with your husband.

[13:33.90]If you can, you will remain the owner of the land and house

[13:38.17]after your husband’s death.

[13:39.81]Number three: Get legal advice from a lawyer,

[13:43.31]a paralegal or a local organization that offers this type of assistance.

[13:48.45]They can help you understand your rights and the law.

[13:51.51]M: Mrs. Mutwa, I think the advice that you’ve offered here

[13:55.23]on the program will help many women.

[13:57.42]Do you think that this kind of property grabbing

[14:00.27]will definitely affect women’s lives after their husbands’ death?

[14:04.53]W: Definitely. Some of the women hope

[14:07.37]that the inheritance given by their husbands would help them out.

[14:10.65]Well, as a matter of fact, however,

[14:13.39]the fact proves that they always lose their things

[14:17.11]left by their husbands as their husbands’ relatives

[14:20.17]always ask her to divide the things with them.

[14:23.13]The relatives put forward that property

[14:25.97]and asset in her family are mostly produced by the husband.

[14:29.90]And so the wife should not take all of them away.

[14:33.18]The women have no idea about what she deserves,

[14:36.90]some of them even take it for granted

[14:39.42]that the property should be returned to the husband’s family.

[14:42.59]This is the essence of the problem.

[14:45.33]I hope that women should have this kind of awareness

[14:48.72]that they should go to seek for help from some professional lawyers.

[14:52.32]M: Thank you for joining us today.

[14:54.62]W: You’re most welcome.