INTENSE bickering and fighting among Chief Chikore’s children from his polygamous marriage characterised the traditional leader’s funeral wake last week.
Chief Chikore, born Mr Dennis Mushambi-Chikore (97) from
Makoni District, succumbed to Covid-19 at Rusape General Hospital where he had
been admitted together with his second wife, Ms Elizabeth Gwefete.
Tempers flared when Ms Gwefete’s children claimed the
funeral rights, much to the chagrin of their siblings from the traditional
leader’s first wife.
Manicaland Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr Edgars
Seenza, confirmed Chief Chikore’s death and said: “Yes, I heard that Chief
Chikore passed on and I am waiting for further details. He had tested positive
to Covid-19.”
Chief Chikore had 12 children with his first wife, Mrs
Chenzira Chikore and three with Ms Gwefete.
Family members said Mrs Chikore and her children were not
informed of the chief’s admission in hospital and subsequent death, only to get
the news through the grapevine.
Upon the chief’s demise, Ms Gwefete’s children approached
Makoni District Development Coordinator, Mr Edwin Mashindi, requesting for
funeral assistance to bury their father. Mr Mashindi contacted elders of the
clan who professed ignorance over the chief’s death.
Ms Gwefete and her children proceeded to process the burial
order and engaged Nyaradzo Funeral Services to ferry the chief’s body to
Chikore last Saturday. A grave had
already been dug at Ms Gwefete’s homestead where the chief was staying.
They intended to bury him without the knowledge of some
elders of the clan and children from his first wife, claiming that it was his
wish.
Upon hearing that their father had passed on and was about
to be buried without following traditional rites accorded to departed
traditional leaders, Mrs Chikore’s children engaged senior clan members, the
District Development Coordinator’s Office and police to stop the burial.
So bad was the situation that the late Chief Chikore’s body
had to be driven 150km back to Rusape till an amicable solution was found. The
grave was later refilled.
The chief was only buried on Tuesday night in Manyakanyaka
Mountain in accordance with traditional rites.
The late Chief Chikore’s daughter from the first marriage,
Winnet, said she was shocked by the conduct of her step-mother and her
children, saying they wanted to reduce the status of the late chief, just to
settle scores with their mother.
“When a chief dies, the funeral is supposed to be a secret
until after burial. We have sacred burial places for departed chiefs. We were
shocked by the behaviour of Elizabeth (Ms Gwefete) and her children as they
wanted to bury our father at their doorstep. A chief cannot be buried like an
ordinary villager.
“We did our best as his children to make sure that his
status was not lowered. Some people were taking advantage of his advanced age
to make him do questionable things, including seeking a peace order against us
the children of his first wife,” said Winnet.
Efforts to get a comment from Ms Gwefete were fruitless as
she was said to be recuperating. This
was not the first time for Chief Chikore’s dispute with his family members to
spill into the public domain as is in 2019, he dragged his five children with
Mrs Chikore to Rusape Civil Court seeking an order barring them from visiting
him or business premises.
He also alleged that his children were in the habit of
insulting and assaulting him. The children denied assaulting or insulting him
and Rusape magistrate, Ms Rufaro Mangwiro, dismissed the application, saying
the chief should lead by example and live in harmony with his family.
The late Chief Chikore was installed as the third Chief
Chikore in 1998. Manica Post
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