Fresh War Over Mugabe Final Resting Place
Some of the late former president Robert Gabriel Mugabe’s relatives seemingly do not want the old man to rest in peace amid revelations that a fresh war has erupted over his burial.
Mugabe died in Singapore in September 2019 aged 95 and was buried at his Kutama homestead in Zvimba after his widow Grace Mugabe and her children rejected the government’s offer to have his remains interred at the National Heroes Acre in Harare.
Mugabe had made it clear while on his deathbed that he did not want to be buried at the national shrine, his family claimed.
The late strongman died a bitter man, according to his nephew Walter Chidhakwa, following a spectacular fallout with his ruling Zanu PF after a military coup that ousted him in 2017.
Tinos Manovengere is said to have approached Chief Zvimba seeking to have Grace censured amid revelations that some still want Mugabe’s remains reburied in Harare.
According to leaked WhatsApp messages seen by The Standard, one of Mugabe’s prominent nephews consulted a Harare-based lawyer on the legal implications of the case now before Chief Zvimba.
However, others said Mugabe was an international figure and exhuming his remains would be an embarrassment for the country.
They said the late Zanu PF leader’s children had the right to decide, warning Chief Zvimba to be cautious.
Mugabe family spokesperson Leo Mugabe said he was not aware of the WhatsApp messages and the case against Grace.
He said the Manovengeres were his uncles but said they had nothing to do with Mugabe’s Karigamombe family.
