The children of the late Robert Mugabe, a former president of Zimbabwe, have withdrawn a High Court appeal against a court ruling which barred them from contesting the exhumation of their father’s remains.
Mugabe’s three children Bona Mugabe-Mutsahuni, Tinotenda (Robert Jnr) and Bellarmine Chatunga are challenging the traditional court ruling by Chief Zvimba, born Stanley Mhondoro which ordered the exhumation of their late father and confiscation of their livestock.
Chief Zvimba ruled that Mugabe’s remains should be exhumed from their rural home in Zvimba for re-burial at the National Heroes Acre.
Prior to the appeal, Chinhoyi magistrate Ruth Moyo had ruled that Mugabe’s children had no right to appeal against a judgment handed by the traditional court against their mother, Grace.
The High Court judges of appeal in May ruled in favour of Mugabe’s children, who were challenging the exhumation of their father.
Since the magistrate’s ruling in May was already set aside on review, there was apparently nothing to deal with on appeal, hence the High Court on Thursday allowed the withdrawal of the appeal with no order of costs.
Mugabe succumbed to a long illness on September 6, 2019, in Singapore. He was 95. He was buried in Kutama, Zvimba, which is his rural home on September 28, 2019, after weeks of wrangling over his final resting place.