Timba dies intestate with a brother, a half-sister, an aunt and elderly maternal relatives surviving. Who would be entitled to his estate?

• A. Rosa
• B. Hally
• C. Mabel
• D. Koo

Answer: (B)

In intestacy, the estate goes to the deceased’s closest surviving relatives in a fixed order, and siblings take before more distant relatives such as aunts. Half-blood siblings have the same right to inherit as full-blood siblings, so a half-sister stands on the same footing as a brother for the purposes of intestate succession. Since there is a surviving brother and a half-sister, they would both be entitled to a share of the estate, ahead of any aunts or other maternal relatives. The aunt and elderly maternal relatives would only inherit if there were no surviving siblings or their issue. Therefore, the half-sister is the correct answer.