Traditional chiefs in Zvimba are demanding that the late former President Robert Mugabe be buried according to tradition as he was a non-practising chief.
Numerous reports suggested that it was Mugabe’s wish to be buried at his rural village while the government has pushed for his remains to be buried at the National Heroes Acre in the capital Harare.
A mausoleum is currently being built at the Heroes Acre for Mugabe’s burial after his family gave in to government pressure. It is expected to take at least 30 days to complete and will cost millions of dollars to construct.
A Zvimba chief, Raphael Zvikaramba, told AFP that they have so far accepted the government’s proposal regarding Mugabe’s burial, though he did not give details.
Dominic Matibiri, Mugabe’s nephew, told AFP that chiefs are buried in caves and the burial is secretly conducted at night.
A Zimbabwean traditional healer, Benjamin Burombo Jnr, outlined how chiefs in Zimbabwe are, or rather, used to be buried. He said:
When a chief such as Mugabe dies, he is not a person that can be buried at Heroes Acre, that is forbidden. He should be buried in a cave.
Mugabe was not just a president, but he was the embodiment of the spirit of Kaguvi.
Burombo added that when a chief died, his body would be dried, his teeth extracted and the fingernails and toenails ripped off. Moreover, the chief’s body would then be wrapped in skin hides before burial, and could even be swapped with a token such as a goat’s head to be buried instead.
A former University of Zimbabwe sociology lecturer, Claude Mararike told AFP that the traditional rites in the burial of chiefs were abandoned a long time ago.
He added that there could be a lot of anger among the Zvimba people over the manner in which their son, Mugabe, was ousted.
These people its high time the government should tell them the truth. They agreed that Mugabe shall be buried at the heroes. He was President not non practising chief. Otherwise we have forgotten about him they must remember that he was not a perfect leader. People are suffering because him. He started the culture of killing, torture, and abductions of opponents. Please burry him quietly.
Haibo Mr Mararike and Burombo,hiwo nge umbedo nga Sidumo,Likhuluma senseless yodwa.From the beggining why wasting 1million usd to build the mauseleum not to be used now,The country is in darkness.The former President was old enough to be out of office 20 years earlier.There is no coup,they just made him to retire of which he was overdue.President Mnangangwa disappointed me hiring a plane for Former First lady.It was not necessary.The mother had died,President Mnangangwa and coy gave Gushungo 10millions ,if they had paid for electricity we wouldnt be on such conditions.Zimbabweans can be very selfish.We all fought the war in some how.We were war collabrators wirking seeing comrades have food.Wasting our resources feeding people who would turn Zimbabwe a shithole.President Mnangangwa going around with all these simple things to solve and they escalate to the whole word.Imagine fuel you wasted going around with a dead body,if you had paid doctors ,wouldnt you have made a great thing to those hard working doctors without the resources.Its so painful to watch what is happening.It seems the jewel of Africa is getting worse and worse.That man played his part to destroy the country with his current wife.Now we are having people talking nonsensical.imbodment of Kaguvi.Hambana liye hlanyela katshana lina badhala.President Mnangangwa here he was soft like cotton wool.he was supposed to just let them do what they want.Why interfering with their arrangements.Traditional Kaguvi imbodment when people are suffering like this.Chinga vanhu vano dada ne rufu nhai veduwe.