Mugabe Family Holds Private Centennial Celebration For Late Former President
The family of late former president Robert Mugabe held a private ceremony on Saturday to posthumously celebrate his birthday in Zvimba, reported NewZimbabwe.com.
Mugabe was born on 21 February 2024 and would have turned 100 years old this year.
His former spokesperson and relative, Jealous Mawarire, confirmed that the celebrations were held at Kutama Village in Zvimba, where Mugabe was born. Wrote Mawarire on X:
Attending President Mugabe’s posthumous centenary birthday celebrations today, 24th February 2024, in Kutama, Zimbabwe, Mashonaland West Province.
Notable among attendees was Mugabe’s long-time close security aide, Wonder Nyakurima.
Mugabe died on 06 September 2019, aged 95 in Singapore where he had been receiving treatment.
He had been forced to resign following a military coup code-named Operation Restore Legacy. The operation started on 13 November 2017 and ended on 18 December 2017.
Mugabe was buried at his rural home after he had reportedly instructed his family not to allow the Government to bury his remains at the National Heroes Acre.
In May 2022, the High Court ruled in favour of Mugabe’s children who were challenging the exhumation of their father’s remains for re-burial at the National Heroes Acre.
Bona, Tinotenda and Bellarmine were challenging the exhumation of Mugabe’s remains and confiscation of their livestock as ordered by Chief Zvimba, Stanley Mhondoro.
In the judgment, Justices Amy Tsanga and Fatima Maxwell ruled against Chinhoyi magistrate Ruth Moyo who had ruled that Mugabe’s children had no right to appeal against a judgment handed by the traditional court against their mother, Grace.
This came after the village head Tinos Manongovere, filed a complaint before Chief Zvimba in 2021 arguing that Mugabe was “improperly” buried in a courtyard.
Chief Zvimba sanctioned the exhumation of the late veteran leader and reburial at the National Heroes Acre in Harare and also fined Grace, Mugabe’s widow for contempt of court and incorrectly burying her husband.
The matter was referred to the Magistrate Court where Chinhoyi magistrate Ruth Moyo allowed the exhumation to be conducted saying Mugabe’s children had no locus standi (right) to appeal against their father’s reburial.
Mugabe’s children then appealed the ruling against the magistrate and also challenged the chief’s decision at the traditional court.
They argued that no one except them has the authority over their father’s grave, warning that anyone who would tamper with it would be committing a criminal offence as outlined in the Burial Act.
According to the said section, anyone who wilfully destroys or causes to be done any damage, defacement or disfigurement to any monument, vault, tombstone or grave whether within or without a cemetery shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level five or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or both.
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