President Emmerson Mnangagwa is behind a bizarre push to exhume the remains of the late former president Robert Mugabe because he wants to lay his hands on his predecessor’s mystic sceptre, Mugabe’s exiled nephew Patrick Zhuwawo has sensationally claimed.
Speaking during an interview with the SABC on Wednesday from South Africa, where he sought refuge following the 2017 military coup that toppled Mugabe, Zhuwawo claimed Mnangagwa believes the sceptre, or “tsvimbo yaMambo” in the Shona language, was buried alongside Mugabe at Kutama Village in Zvimba.
This comes after Chief Zvimba on Tuesday summoned Mugabe’s widow Grace to a village court on accusations of violating tradition by burying the late former president inside of his rural homestead.
In the summons sent to Grace, the traditional leader said burying Mugabe at his homestead is unheard of in his area and he wants her to rebury the late president at a place designated by the family and his late mother.
Zhuwawo said Mugabe’s widow is not feeling well and is outside the country where she is seeking medical treatment. He said:
He knows very well that Amai Mugabe is not well, she is out of the country, he knows that she is receiving treatment.
He knows very well that she will not be able to attend and yet he sent one of his officers to be the head of the delegation that went to deliver the summons to someone that they know very, very well, will not be available.
… the reason Emmerson Mnangagwa wants to exhume the mortal remains of president Mugabe is that he has been looking for what is referred to as tsvimbo yaMambo/[induku yeNkosi], which is really the sceptre that he believes will give him the authority to be the leader of Zimbabwe.
Emmerson Mnangagwa, in my presence and the presence of my two colleagues, has indicated that he believes that there are 16 traditional leaders who will effectively anoint the person that will be able to effectively govern Zimbabwe and he believes that president Mugabe had that tsvimbo yehuMambo/[induku yobuKhosi] (royal sceptre).
Zhuwawo told the SABC that he has the evidence to corroborate his claims. He said:
I have the evidence of him having spoken to me and to a couple of my colleagues and one of my colleagues is willing to turn around and say ‘look this is what he believes.’
He believes that Zimbabwe, the governance of Zimbabwe is determined by 16 traditional leaders and he believes that it is those traditional leaders who handed a sceptre to president Mugabe, but president Mugabe had indicated to him that no such thing ever happened.
Zhuwawo vowed the Mugabe family will not attend Chief Zvimba’s court saying the traditional leader was promised cars during Mugabe’s funeral.