As the saga drags on, Mr Maxwell Chimwamurombe’s family has
opened to The Manica Post in its quest for justice.
They did not conduct body viewing before burying a coffin
they believed contained his remains in Chief Katerere’s area last year.
Last Friday, the coffin was exhumed in Nyanga and it was
discovered that the funeral service provider had allegedly stuffed blankets,
cloths and plastic bags in a coffin that was supposed to be carrying Mr
Chimwamurombe’s remains.
Mr Chimwamurombe drowned in a flooded Nyamombe River in
Nyanga last year in March and his body could not be found for weeks.
When it was discovered, it was at an advanced state of
decomposition and some of his body parts were scattered on the riverbank.
The remains were collected and sent to Harare for forensic
tests and preparation for burial.
However, in a major boob whose circumstances remain
unclear, Doves Funeral Services delivered an empty coffin to Nyanga, while Mr
Chimwamurombe’s remains were instead buried at Granville Cemetery in Harare,
inside a coffin that had the body of a pauper whose funeral was paid for by
Harare City Council.
Police have since moved in to probe the case and exhumed
the empty coffin in Nyanga as well as Mr Chimwamurombe’s body.
Law enforcement agents have indicated that the company will
likely be charged with two counts of fraud.
Police said Doves Funeral Services was likely to be charged
with defrauding the policyholder who was paying her premiums, Ms Memory
Chimwamurombe, but failed to offer her the expected services.
Harare City Council was also defrauded as two corpses were
buried in one grave that had been paid for.
In an interview with The Manica Post on Wednesday night, a
sister to the deceased said events surrounding her brother’s burial were now
having a toll on her health.
The bitter Ms Chimwamurombe did not mince her words, saying
Doves should compensate her in her individual capacity as the policyholder
before appeasing her brother’s spirit.
“I am the last born in our family of five and was the one
who was taking care of my late brother who was also a mental health patient. My
brother never married and the desire to see him being accorded a decent burial
upon his death prompted me to enlist him among the beneficiaries of my policy
with Doves.
“I am a vendor, a mother of six and a widow following the
death of my husband in 2006. To raise the money to pay for the funeral policy,
I walk a long distance to Mutoko to sell my wares. I am paying US$11 every
month to service my policy. When my brother died, I bought a blanket for US$45
for it to be used to cover his remains as I loved him so much.
“Despite my toil, little did I know that my brother’s death
would bring more agony to me. I am having sleepless nights thinking of what
really happened to my brother’s remains. Doves has to come out clean on what happened
because we are not getting convincing answers on what caused this boob.
“We slaughtered a bull and goats during my late brother’s
funeral and memorial service; only to learn that we didn’t even bury him. Who
will compensate us for this loss and the pain? When this issue is finally
resolved, who will meet the reburial costs?” complained an emotional Ms
Chimwamurombe.
She claimed that in hindsight she has now realised that
Doves employees acted suspiciously from the collection of the remains in Harare
to the burial of the empty coffin in Katerere.
“After our brother’s remains were released from
Parirenyatwa mortuary into the custody of Doves, they did not take time to
inform us that they were ready to travel to Nyanga.
“They did not ask any family member to witness whether we
were taking the correct body for burial or not. Everything was hurriedly done.
Along the way, my sister who was sitting in the Doves hearse even questioned
the driver who was only identified as Chitsike why no foul smell was coming
from the coffin considering that my brother’s remains were in an advance state
of decomposition. She was told that they had embalmed the body and decided to
let it go.
“My brother was heavily built and pall-bearers questioned
the weight of the coffin when we arrived in Katerere, but this was again
brushed aside by the driver. The driver also insisted that no body viewing
should be done,” she said.
Ms Chimwamurombe said Doves representatives only consulted
her in November.
“Doves representatives drove here to look for me in
November. When I had a meeting with them, they said they had discovered
Maxwell’s remains on Shelf Number 3, three days after the perceived burial.
“How did the remains find their way onto the shelf when
they were not supposed to spend time in their parlour? When I asked them the
exact body parts that were on that shelf, they could not answer me.
“To add insult to injury, they continued deducting
Maxwell’s premium from my policy for three months after his death. They should
not act clever. Yes, they are a big corporate with muscle, but I know my
brother’s spirit will not rest until justice prevails,” fumed Ms Chimwamurombe.
“Since the exhumation I haven’t slept and I can drop
anytime due to hypertension,” she said.
In a separate interview from Harare, the Chimwamurombe
family spokesperson, Mr Proud Chimwamurombe said the family wants to give its
late patriarch a befitting send-off so that his soul can rest in peace.
“This issue has been dragging for almost a year now. My
uncle died in March last year and it pains us that up to now his remains are
yet to be buried. The police are doing their job, but we hope this will not
further delay his burial.
“We are waiting for the DNA tests being done on his remains
since they were two bodies in the coffin that was exhumed in Harare. Our legal
team is also providing us with the necessary guidance so that there is closure
on this whole case. We are also waiting for Doves to engage us on the best way
forward,” said Mr Chimwamurombe.
When asked on what had caused the boob and how the family
failed to dictate that they were burying an empty coffin, Mr Chimwamurombe said
emotions could have gotten the better of them during the funeral.
“When my uncle drowned, his body could not be located for
some time. When it was finally located, it was in an advanced state of
decomposition.
“The remains were taken to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals’
mortuary. We managed to positively identify them before they were taken to
Doves Funeral Service parlour.
“When we went to collect the remains in Harare, body
viewing was not done as we were in the midst of a Covid-19 wave. During that
time last year, the disease was wreaking havoc and we thought the service
provider had done a proper job.
“We also did not conduct any body viewing in Nyanga.
Admittedly, the coffin was lighter than expected but the pall-bearers thought
that since the remains were in an advanced state of decomposition, this could
have affected the weight,” he explained.
Asked on how they eventually discovered that they had
buried an empty coffin, Mr Chimwamurombe said Doves dropped the bombshell on
them.
“We were only informed by people from Doves that a mix-up
on our father’s body had occurred. How they discovered that, we are not privy
to that. What disturbed us the most is the time it took them to discover the
error.
“Maybe the police will furnish us with more details on what
really transpired when they finalise their investigations. Our doors are always
open for formal engagement with the company,” he said.
Doves Funeral Services spokesperson, Mr Innocent Tshuma,
could not be drawn to reveal more details on the issue as he said police
investigations are still underway.
However, The Manica Post understands that meetings have
since been held between Doves Funeral Services and the Chimwamurombes in Nyanga
and Harare.
A statement prepared and signed by the Chimwamurombes’
attorney, Mr Tafara Chiturumani of Chiturumani Zvavanoda Law Chambers on
November 6, 2021reads: “Both parties have realised that there is need to
scientifically establish the truth regarding the burial of the deceased, and
correct any findings of impropriety arising out of the burial process.
“The agreed process will entail: (a) exhumation of the
graves concerned, in compliance with the requirements of the law; (b)
identification of any remains recovered, either through DNA tests or other
means; and (c) reburial of the deceased, if necessary….”
However, traditional leaders have come out guns blazing as
they say their land was defiled by the boob.
A bitter Chief Katerere, whose land was reportedly defiled
by Doves Funeral Services, witnessed the exhumation of the empty coffin last
week on Friday.
The traditional leader had no kind words for the company.
“It is unheard of to bury an empty coffin. Why did they
fail to dictate this anomaly on time? How could they travel all the way from
Harare to Katerere without doing due diligence?
“I was present when the coffin was exhumed and inside were
white cloths, blankets, plastics and some bloodstains,” said Chief Katerere in
an interview with The Manica Post early this week.
He said while the police are continuing with their
investigations, he will summon the company to appear before his court for
defiling his land.
“In cases of this nature, offenders are usually fined five
cattle. We will ensure that justice prevails. The Chimwamurombes should also be
compensated,” he said.
Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs’ Manicaland provincial chairman,
Chief Makumbe chipped in saying the Doves Funeral Services have got a case to
answer.
“They violated Hwesa traditions. Tampering with dead bodies
is a criminal offence and as the custodians of our culture, we will not fold
our arms and watch from a distance as this has a large bearing in the discharge
of our duties. The Katereres now have an open grave in their community, what
will happen to it? This is a mockery of our norms and values.
“When they transported the empty coffin from Harare, the
weight of the coffin should have raised eyebrows. Where did the bloodstains
that were found in the coffin that was exhumed in Nyanga came from? If it
belonged to someone else, it means that the Chimwamurombes dedicated the spirit
of a stranger to their ancestors,” said Chief Makumbe.
He added: “Doves is a reputable company with many years of
experience in handling dead bodies and should have properly handled this whole
issue. The company should engage the Chimwamurombes and Chief Katerere to
settle this issue once and for all.
“As traditional leaders in Manicaland, we also want to
summon them to appear before our council to address all the grey areas
regarding this issue. We want proper closure on the issue,” he said. Manica
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