The controversy surrounding the late former president Robert Mugabe’s final resting place continues to haunt the country as the battle now shifts to the courts.
When Mugabe died, it took nearly three weeks before he was
laid to rest at his Zvimba rural home amid accusations of witchcraft.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF party wanted
his remains to be interred at the National Heroes Acres like most of his
colleagues in the liberation struggle, but the Mugabe family stood by his wife,
former first lady Grace Mugabe who put her foot down, saying the late veteran
politician wanted to be buried at his Kutama home.
That was his death bed wish, she said.
Two years later, those who thought Mugabe’s burial issue
was now water under the bridge were shocked to hear that some little known
villager of Mugabe’s Gushungo totem, Headman Tinos Manongovere from the
neighbouring village had approached Chief Zvimba, born Stanley Wurayayi
Mhondoro claiming that Zimbabwe’s once longtime ruler was buried against the
norms and customs of the area.
He said Mugabe’s remains
needed to be dug up and reburied elsewhere.
This development stirred the anger of Kutama villagers in
Zvimba who are furious about the proposed exhumation of Mugabe’s remains.
Mugabe’s neighbour who claims to be his aunt, Josephine
Jaricha pointed an accusing finger at Mnangagwa whom she accused of trying to
manipulate villagers allegedly to satisfy his wish to get access to Mugabe’s
body.
Jaricha said the exhumation would not resurrect Mugabe or
solve the current problems Zimbabwe was facing, including shortages of medicine
in hospitals, inflation and the obtaining economic meltdown.
“Even if they exhume his body and rebury him at the
National Heroes Acres that will not resurrect our child,” Jaricha said.
Jaricha said instead of solving problems being faced by the
people in the country, Mnangagwa wanted to waste time and taxpayers’ money to
exhume and rebury Mugabe.
“Besides, most people are suffering; (government) should be
working towards solving people’s problems. This is a failed leadership.
“Things are worse off than during Mugabe’s time.
“Exhuming Mugabe will not put food on the table and those
leading the country should preoccupy themselves with solving national problems
rather than engaging in these frivolous things like exhuming Mugabe’s body,”
Jaricha charged.
Mugabe’s headman, Camiro Kutama who appeared concerned
about being sidelined by the Mugabe family during the burial ceremony said the
villagers were shocked by the exhumation saga since it had never happened in
his area of jurisdiction.
Kutama said if it was a case of violating customs and norms
within Zvimba in general and Kutama in particular, he should have been the
first person to be informed, but nothing like that happened.
“The chief erred by presiding over a case that I don’t even
know about,” Kutama said.
“The case should have first come to me…besides people are
buried at places of their choice and it’s not something out of this world.”
Another Kutama villager, elder Cephas Chioto who sits in
headman Kutama’s court said the Mugabe issue was unique in so many ways.
Chioto said it was not new that someone was buried in the
courtyard of their homestead.
It’s now “fashionable” in most parts of Zvimba, and
interestingly, when Mugabe was buried, most Zvimba chiefs and Manongovere were
present, but the issue was never raised.
“My son, go around this village and see for yourself graves
at people’s homesteads, but nothing is being said about it,” Chioto said.
“Interestingly all those people involved (Chief Zvimba and
Manongovere) were present when Mugabe was buried but none of them raised the
issue.”
Chioto said it was very clear that some chiefs and
villagers were being bribed to make ridiculous decisions.
“This can only point to people receiving money to make such
ridiculous judgements because if they were genuine, they were supposed to raise
the issue on the day Mugabe was buried ….but why waiting for two years?” Chioto
queried.
Pressed further to reveal names of those involved, Chioto
refused to name the people he suspected to be dishing out money to influence
Mugabe’s exhumation and reburial.
“I will be required to bring evidence, which can be
difficult to get, but these outrageous rulings by people who were part of the
burial ceremony point to that direction” Chioto said.
Asked why he did not report the case first to Mugabe’s
Kutama as required at law, Manongovere said Kutama was not of the Gushungo
totem and did not know the norms and customs of the Zvimba people since he was
from Masvingo and of Madyirapanze totem.
“I couldn’t report to Sabhuku Kutama because he doesn’t
know our Gushungo way of doing cultural things since he is from Masvingo and of
Madyirapanze totem,” he said.
Manongovere also said it was not true that Chief Zvimba and
Chief Chidziva were present during Mugabe’s burial, insisting that they were
chased away from Mugabe’s Blue Roof house by Grace Mugabe.
“According to our tradition Chief Chidziva and Chief Serima
from Gutu representing Mugabe’s mother’s family identified Mugabe’s resting
place at the Heroes Acre and marked the site (kutema rukawo) in the presence of
Mugabe’s children, but Grace Mugabe disregarded all that and chased some chiefs
from her Blue Roof residence,” said Manongovere.
He said he was not foolish to arraign the former first
lady, a Mugabe family in-law before Chief Zvimba instead of the head of the
Mugabe family, but he did so because Grace Mugabe dictated everything to do
with the Mugabe burial.
“Grace was bullying everyone at the funeral. That’s the
reason I took her to Chief Zvimba instead of the Mugabes,” said Manongovere.
Mugabe’s nephew and family spokesperson Leo Mugabe said it
was appropriate for the former Zanu PF strongman’s to remain in Zvimba since
they were in the process of renovating some rooms to be turned into a museum.
“We are constructing a museum befitting the Zimbabwean
icon,” said Leo Mugabe.
“He deserved such because the country’s history will not be
complete without his immense contribution before, during and after the
liberation struggle.”
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