A Chinhoyi magistrate on Friday threw out an appeal by the
Mugabes to overturn a ruling by Chief Zvimba ordering the exhumation.
Leo Mugabe, a spokesperson for Zimbabwe’s founding leader’s
family, yesterday told The Standard that they were now banking on Mnangagwa “to
stop the madness”.
“We appeal to President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene and
stop this madness going around in courts by trying to exhume the late
president’s body and rebury him at the national Heroes Acre,” he said.
“He must come out clear to show that he is not part of the
machinations of trying to disregard the wishes of the family and the dead.”
Leo Mugabe said the reburial saga can only stop if
Mnangagwa intervened.
Mugabe children, Bona, Tinotenda Robert Jnr and Bellarmine
Chatunga will launch another appeal at the High Court against Chinhoyi
magistrate Ruth Moyo’s judgement that dismissed their appeal against Chief
Zvimba’s order.
Their lawyer, Fungai Chimwamurombe, told The Standard that
the children had instructed him to appeal against Moyo’s ruling at the High
Court.
“After studying the Chinhoyi magistrate court ruling that
threw out our appeal against Chief Zvimba’s judgement, there are a lot of
opportunities that our appeal will be successful and come Monday or Tuesday,
the world will know of our way forward,” Chimwamurombe said.
After Friday’s court ruling, the Information ministry
issued a statement distancing itself from the bid to exhume Mugabe’s remains.
“Government has noted the outcome of a court process in
Chinhoyi in the matter between the Mugabe siblings versus Tynos Manongove,” the
statement said.
“As neither government nor (Mnangagwa) was involved in the
said matter, we will await further details on the judgement before making any
further comment.”
Mugabe died of cancer in Singapore in September 2019, two
years after he was toppled in a military coup.
Mugabe’s family blocked the government from burying the
former Zanu PF leader at the Heroes Acre, saying they wanted to respect his
death bed wish not be buried at the shrine.
The government had started building a mausoleum for Mugabe.
Construction of the grave at the Heroes Acre never stopped, sparking
speculation that the authorities had not given up on plans to bury Zimbabwe’s
long-serving leader at the shrine.
Information deputy minister Kindness Paradza told The
Standard that the mausoleum was no longer meant for Mugabe’s remains.
“The issue about the exhumation of the late former
president is a private issue,” Paradza said.
“Government and President Emmerson Mnangagwa will respect
that the issue is a family matter and allow the family to deal with the issue
without its interference.
“The president agreed to meet the Zvimba chiefs as he could
have done to anyone who was seeking an audience with him.
“Remember that the late president and the sitting president
were close allies.
“Therefore, he could not have refused to give audience to
the chiefs on the said issue.
“But the whole matter is entirely up to the clan to decide
on what they want, without both the government and President Mnangagwa.
Tawanda Mapuranga, a legal expert, said there was a high
likelihood that Chief Zvimba’s order will be overturned by superior courts.
“The chief’s judgement was incompetent, on the basis that
chiefs do not have powers to order the exhumation of a human being for
reburial,” Mapuranga said.
“There is a legislation that deals specifically with the
issues of exhumation and reburial by the Home Affairs ministry.
“To me, the case filed by Mugabe’s children was more of an
application for review than an appeal.
“In an application for a review, anyone, other than the
parties involved in the case may file papers.” Standard
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