Chirara alleged
that his nephew, Kudakwashe Chirara, who died in his 50s, was buried in Marange
without his consent or consultation with the paternal relatives.
Speaking with
evident pain, Chirara recounted how he was assaulted by the Mwavhera family
members, his late brother’s in-laws, during the funeral.
He said the
situation got so tense that he failed to witness his nephew’s burial.
“I have come to
seek your assistance, my Chief, as these individuals buried my nephew without
my consent. As his paternal uncle, I should have decided on the burial
arrangements. However, they disregarded me entirely, and I am not aware of the
exact burial location of my nephew,” said Chirara.
He continued:
“Upon my nephew’s passing on, I expressed my desire to lay him to rest in
Nyagundi, our ancestral home. Nonetheless, they refused.
“When I
attempted to retrieve the body with the aid of some relatives, we were
assaulted, and told that our role was limited to preparing the grave and
performing rituals. I felt utterly humiliated.”
Chirara further
explained that his plan to transport the body to Nyagundi, aided by a funeral
parlour staff, was foiled by the Mwavhera family’s alleged violent conduct.
“They claimed
we had no say because we had not paid roora for our daughter-in-law, but that
is nonsense. We have proof of payment, and they are just using this as an
excuse,” said Chirara, adding that they were forced to flee for their safety,
leaving the funeral without burying their son.
“We are now
begging the court to order them to exhume our relative’s body so that we can
bury him in our ancestral land,” argued.
However, Edmore
Mwavhera, the maternal grandfather of the late Kudakwashe, remained resolute,
arguing that his family had every right to bury the deceased.
“The Chirara
family never respected us or paid roora for my daughter. Now, they want to act
like they are in charge? They used my daughter for years without marrying her
properly. You cannot use someone’s daughter and then claim ownership of the
child,” he counter argued.
Mwavhera
further alleged that the Chiraras had treated his daughter as a “baby
making-machine” without respecting her as a wife.
“We raised
Kudakwashe, and when he passed on, he was with us. We cared for him. My
daughter had three children with Chirara’s brother, who abandoned her to care
for the children alone. We supported them until they grew up. We did what was
right and buried our relative,” he said.
Chirara
maintained that roora was paid, accusing the Mwavheras of attempting to justify
their actions.
“We have
receipts and witnesses to prove that roora was paid. My son married her
properly. We sought a peaceful funeral, but were chased away,” he said.
Village head
Mwavhera confirmed the feud and his involvement in trying to find an amicable
solution.
“I invited the
Chiraras to participate in the burial, but they did not return. With the police
advising that the body should be buried, we proceeded with the funeral.”
He said faced
with lack of cooperation and time constraints, he had no choice but to allow
the burial.
Chief Marange,
after hearing all parties, advised the Chiraras to follow proper legal
procedures for exhumation.
“We must adhere
to the laws of the land. You cannot demand exhumation without following the due
process. Apply through the proper channels, and if your case is genuine, the
court will grant you permission,” ruled Chief Marange. Manica Post
0 comments:
Post a Comment