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.

Zimbabwean Family Buries Body Of Lesotho National, Mix-Up Discovered Two Months Later

Two female members of an apostolic sect led by Madzibaba Ishmael Chokurongerwa on Thursday appeared in court facing trafficking charges, <a href="https://www.zimlive.com/duo-locked-up-for-harbouring-witnesses-to-jailed-cult-leaders-crimes/">reported ZimLive</a>.
The two, Danai Tigere (56), and Veronica Chitanda (40), were allegedly caught harbouring nine females believed to be key witnesses in the case which resulted in the arrest of Madzibaba Ishmael recently.
Tigere and Chitanda appeared before Harare magistrate Donald Ndirowei and were not asked to plead. They were granted US$50 each.
They were back in court on Friday, April 12, for bail application in the other case.
Prosecuting, Anesu Chirenje said that on March 13 this year, Chokurongerwa and seven accomplices were arrested by the police for contravening the Burial and Cremation Act and Children’s Act at Plot number 6 Lily Farm in Nyabira.
He further alleged that on March 28, police received information that the two were hiding victims suspected to be from Chokurongerwa’s sect house number 40 Ngamera Street, Mufakose Harare. Said the State prosecutor:
<blockquote>
On March 29, at 3 AM, a raid was conducted at Tigere’s residence where Previous Zogara, 20, Precious Tichaona, 20, Memory Matanga, 19, Rulendo Chimuti, 24, Vimbai Mufani, 21, Melody Chirinda, 20, Nomusa Tichaona, 18, and two minors were rescued by the police.
</blockquote>
When questioned, the pair could not provide a satisfactory explanation on why they were keeping the nine.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Two Women Arrested For Harbouring Witnesses In Madzibaba Ishmael's Alleged Crimes

The body of a child who was allegedly buried at Madzibaba Ishmael Chokurongerwa’s shrine at Lily Farm in Nyabira without the knowledge of the mother was expected to be exhumed this Friday.
The mother of the child, Memory Mukanairi pleaded with authorities for the body to be exhumed.
It will be the second exhumation of a body at the shrine after the exhumation of the remains of the late Professor Itai Muwati, who died in unclear circumstances at the same shrine.
Prof Muwati’s brother claimed that his sibling was murdered by members of the cult after he decided to leave because he no longer agreed with some of the things which were happening at the shrine.
According to <a href="https://www.hmetro.co.zw/police-set-to-exhume-body-of-a-child-buried-at-ishmaels-nyabira-shrine-the-child-was-buried-without-the-knowledge-of-the-mother-other-people-set-to-visit-farm-to-check-for-missing-rel/">H-Metro</a>, a heavy police presence was expected at Lily Farm for the exhumation process just in case there was resistance from some of the cult members.
Madzibaba Ishmael and his co-accused, Takavengwa Gwenzi (55), Siribiniyo Chikunire (53), Wonder Kabaya (41), Devlodge Katsande (47), Zebediah Sigudu (49), Aaron Chokurongerwa (47) and Shingirai Ngavafume (42), who are all members of the cult, appeared before High Court judge Justice Rodgers Manyangadze on Thursday.
Madzibaba Ishmael was denied bail while his co-accused were granted bail by the High Court. He will remain in custody until their trial gets underway on May 7.
Justice Manyangadze granted bail to the seven accomplices while denying Madzibaba Ishmael’s release. He said the magistrate, who had previously denied bail to Madzibaba Ishmael’s seven accomplices, erred by adopting a dragnet approach and failing to identify the cult leader.
Madzibaba Ishmael and his accomplices stand accused of contravening Section 3 (1) and (2) of the Burial and Cremation Act 5:03 and Section 7(1) and (5) of the Children’s Act 5:06.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Police Set To Exhume Body Of A Child Buried At Madzibaba Ishmael's Shrine

The late former President Robert Mugabe’s three children, Bona Mutsahuni-Mugabe, Tinotenda Robert Jnr Mugabe, and Bellarmine Chatunga, on Wednesday, failed to appear in court in a case where they are seeking to stop the exhumation of their father’s remains, reported <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200007834/mugabe-exhumation-case-family-fails-to-turn-up">NewsDay</a>.
Bona (executrix of the estate of late Robert Mugabe), Robert Jnr, and Chatunga were called thrice each without response.
Chinhoyi provincial magistrate Tinashe Ndokera ruled that the three should have been in court to support documentary evidence provided by the appellant’s lawyer, Pardon Nhokwara.
This prompted their lawyer Takunda Gombiro to make an application arguing that since it is a civil case, documentary evidence was sufficient.
Nhokwara had argued that documentary evidence alone was not sufficient as he wanted the family to clarify some of the issues.
Ndokera postponed the case to 7 March 2023 for a hearing.
If Mugabe’s children fail to appear in court on 7 March a default judgment will be entered.
Two of the chiefs who wanted Mugabe’s remains to be exhumed from his Zvimba homestead and reburied at the National Heroes Acre in Harare have died.
Chief Beperere who argued that the Mugabe family had erred in laying him to rest in the courtyard died in September 2021 while Chief Zvimba, born Johannes Jenami, died in 2022.
The Mugabes are contesting the magistrates’ court’s decision to exhume and rebury Mugabe’s remains.

Mugabe Exhumation: Children Fail To Turn Up In Court

The High Court on Wednesday struck off the urgent roll, a case where former First Lady Grace Mugabe is challenging the exhumation of the remains of her late husband, former President Robert Mugabe.
A village head Tinos Manongovere, from Zvimba, Mugabe’s rural home, filed an application to have the former leader’s body exhumed and reburied at the National Heroes Acre in Harare.
In his application filed at the High Court on 22 October 2021, Manongovere said:
<blockquote>
What totally surprised me is that the applicant (Grace) did not bother to cite me as a party to the proceedings despite the fact that the rules of the court require that I should be cited.
I was a party in the magistrate’s court and I deserve to be heard before this honourable court makes a decision which adversely affects me.
To my utter shock, even though the proceedings in the community court related to a claim against Moyo by me, Grace deliberately failed to cite me in her application to set aside Chief Zvimba, Stanely Mhondoro.
</blockquote>
He further insisted that Grace violated customary rites and traditions by failing to bury Mugabe at the designated burial site in Zvimba where his mother, sisters, brothers, and the rest of his clansmen are buried.
Grace is challenging an order by Chinhoyi magistrate Ruth Moyo to proceed with the exhumation of Mugabe’s remains.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2021/10/high-court-removes-mugabe-exhumation-challenge-from-urgent-roll/">NewsDay</a></h4>

Grace Mugabe's Exhumation Challenge Suffers Major Blow

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been implicated in the ongoing attempts to exhume the late former president Robert Mugabe who was buried at his homestead in Kutama village.
According to the Zimbabwe Independent, Mnangagwa chaired a high-level meeting of Mugabe’s clansmen held at the State House on September 11, 2020.
The meeting was also attended by several senior government and ZANU PF officials, as well as representatives of the Zvimba clan.
It is the same meeting at which the decision to summon Mugabe’s widow, Grace, to a trial at Chief Zvimba’s traditional court was made, according to minutes seen by the Zimbabwe Independent this week.
The government wanted Mugabe to be buried at the National Heroes Acre in Harare but his immediate family refused.
Mugabe’s family insisted that they were bound to respect his wish to be buried beside his mother at their rural homestead in Zvimba.
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, Defence and War Veterans minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Information and Publicity minister Monica Mutsvangwa, Local Government and Public Works ministers July Moyo, Zanu-PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu, Chief Zvimba, Chief Beperere, Chief Chidziva, Headman Chisora, Phillip Chiyangwa, Madzima Bhajabha, Nyikadzino Kamuruko and Edward Tome attended the meeting.
The minutes also show that Zvimba clan spokesman Edward Tome pointed out that the late Mugabe was appointed Chief Zvimba soon after his return from Ghana, but requested that someone represent him as he was involved in politics.
Tome went on to say that the family had, upon Mugabe’s death, requested for a mausoleum to be created at the national shrine.
He said after a misunderstanding with the former first lady Grace Mugabe, both members of the Zvimba clan and his uncles from Gutu pulled out. Grace and foreign dignitaries went ahead with the burial.
Tome further told the meeting that the former president should be buried like a chief not like an ordinary person.
Bhajabha then interjected and told the meeting that the Zvimba clan was requesting government assistance to rebury Mugabe.
He went on to say some of the things needed for the reburial include a casket, national flag, transport before they bury the chief and report back to the president.
Bhajabha added that a mausoleum could be erected after the burial and a tombstone in the image of the former leader with a clenched fist facing to the east erected.
Before a ceremony could be conducted the clan requested access to the national shrine to carry out rituals.
The whole process was supposed to be completed before the sacred month of (Mbudzi) which starts on October 15 and ends on December 15 according to Shona culture
According to the minutes, Mnangagwa agreed to the Zvimba clan’s requests but had questions over how the family intended to exhume and rebury the former president without attracting public attention.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2021/05/21/exhumation-saga-sucks-in-mnangagwa/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Zimbabwe Independent</a></h4>

Mugabe Exhumation & Reburial Saga Sucks In Mnangagwa

The <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/National_Peace_and_Reconciliation_Commission" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC)</a> is not aware when the exhumations of the victims of the 1980s <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Gukurahundi" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gukurahundi</a> genocide will be resumed.
NPRC commissioner Leslie Ncube confirmed that they will have their first meeting in the new year next week where they will discuss the issue. Said Ncube:
<blockquote>It’s still quiet. We are having our first meeting next week where we are likely to discuss this and many other issues. For now, I cannot say when (exhumations resume).</blockquote>
In May last year, Bulawayo-based Ukuthula Trust, an independent body of forensic archaeologists and forensic anthropologists, exhumed the bodies of Justin Tshuma and Thembi Ngwenya who were killed by soldiers in March 1093 in <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Tsholotsho" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tsholotsho</a>.
The exhumation was attended by the NPRC, among other stakeholders.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2020/01/gukurahundi-exhumations-shelved/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NewsDay</a></h4>

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