A family from Cross Roads, Mangwe, recently exhumed the body of a Lesotho citizen they had mistakenly buried, believing it to be a family member, two months after the burial.
The exhumation of the incorrect body and the subsequent burial of the rightful deceased, Bambanani Ndebele, occurred last Friday, with officials from Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Lesotho in attendance.
In an interview with <a href="https://cite.org.zw/mangwe-family-buries-lesotho-citizen-in-tragic-body-mix-up/">CITE</a>, the deceased’s uncle, a visibly distressed Mike Ndebele, said that his nephew died in South Africa two months ago.
Unfortunately, a mix-up resulted in the wrong body being sent to Zimbabwe for burial. Said Ndebele:
<blockquote>
My nephew died in South Africa two months ago, and due to a misplacement of bodies, the wrong body was brought to Zimbabwe, and we buried it.
Later, we discovered the mistake, and the Lesotho family is now on their way to collect their relative’s remains.
</blockquote>
It is alleged that Bambanani was stabbed in South Africa and despite body viewing processes conducted both in South Africa and Zimbabwe, the family struggled to identify the deceased. Said Ndebele:
<blockquote>
Body viewing was done both in South Africa and here in Zimbabwe, but identifying someone in a coffin is often difficult.
Some family members and even children raised concerns, saying the body didn’t look like him, but their concerns were dismissed. This incident has deeply hurt us as a family.
</blockquote>
Cultural activist Samukele Hadele said it is important to identify a body at the point of collection and during the dressing process.
Hadele said that in African tradition, viewing the body serves as a way to pay last respects and bid farewell. As such, he argued that this responsibility should not rest solely with undertakers.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

A family in Zimbabwe buried the wrong body of a man from Lesotho by mistake. Two months later, they realized the mix-up and had to dig up the body and bury the right person. The uncle of the deceased man said his nephew died in South Africa and the wrong body was sent to Zimbabwe for burial. Even though there were body viewing processes, the family still struggled to identify the body. The family is now on their way to collect the correct relative's remains. It is important to correctly identify a body during the collection and dressing process, according to cultural activist Samukele Hadele.

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