A family from Chigodora under Chief Zimunya in Manicaland Province was recently hauled before a community court after it secretly reburied its six-year-old child’s empty coffin after the grave had been tampered with.
The coffin was exhumed three years ago soon after burial and whereabouts of the body remain unknown.
<a href="https://www.manicapost.co.zw/childs-corpse-unaccounted-for-empty-coffin-reburied/">The Manica Post</a> reported that the father’s child, Joe Mureyani, later passed on under mysterious circumstances and his wife relocated to South Africa.
However, members of the Mureyani family were dragged to Headman Chigodora’s court last Saturday to explain why they did not inform the local leadership following the incident.
The issue has since been transferred to Acting Chief Zimunya’s court and will be heard on 06 August.
Derrick Mureyani begged for forgiveness on behalf of the family when he was asked by Headman Chigodora why they did not report the matter to their Village Head or the Headman. Said Mureyani:
<blockquote>
My aunt was walking past the grave when she discovered that it had been tampered with. The grave had been dug and the coffin removed.
This happened a few days after the child’s burial. We told our elders, and we conducted a search but found nothing.
However, days later, someone saw a child’s coffin inside the house of a villager who is mentally challenged. The coffin looked like the one that we had buried the child in.
Police were alerted and the villager was arrested. He was taken to the psychiatric unit where he was evaluated and was released recently.
However, the body is yet to be found up to this day.
</blockquote>
He added that the shroud that the child’s body was wrapped in, as well as his clothes that had been put in his grave, were all found inside the coffin.
Headman Chigodora accused the family of performing rituals at the cemetery without notifying the traditional leadership. He said:
<blockquote>
As far as I am concerned, that child’s spirit is roaming around this area because the body is yet to be found. This is probably why your family is suffering from mysterious illnesses.
You had no right to visit the cemetery and perform your rituals without notifying the local leadership.
You reburied the empty coffin on your own without informing anyone. This shows that you were trying to cover up something.
Since you do not want to tell this court why you never reported this matter, it is proper for me to transfer the matter to Chief Zimunya’s court.
</blockquote>
Another family member, Shepherd Mureyani, said the traditional healers they consulted over the matter pointed the finger at the family’s patriarch, Zacharia Mureyani. He said:
<blockquote>
After the mysterious disappearance of the child’s corpse, Zacharia ordered Joe to deliver some red cloth to Clever’s home. Joe was not aware that this was a ploy to kill Clever.
However, this backfired on Joe and he died shortly afterwards. This matter was also kept under wraps for three years.
This means that both Joe and his son’s restless spirit are still roaming around this area.
</blockquote>
However, Zacharia denied being responsible for the disappearance of the child’s corpse, saying “There are a lot of witches and wizards” in the Mureyani family.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Child's Coffin Exhumed From Grave, Corpse Unaccounted For

The body of a 12-month-old infant was allegedly stolen from a grave by unknown people in Chisumbanje.
Police said the incident came to light on Saturday 06 May in Musaonyerwa Village.
In a post on the ZRP Twitter page on Monday, Police said the baby died on 7 February this year. Reads the post:
<blockquote>
Police in Chisumbanje are investigating circumstances surrounding a case of violating a grave in which a dug-out grave was found, with a missing corpse, on 06/05/23 at Musaonyerwa Village.
The violated grave was that of an infant (12 months) who passed on 07/02/23. The missing corpse has not yet been found.
Anyone with information to report at any nearest Police Station.
</blockquote>
Violating a grave refers to any action that desecrates or disturbs the resting place of the dead.
This is considered a serious taboo and disrespectful to the deceased and their family members.
Grave violations in Zimbabwe include digging up graves without proper authorisation, removing or stealing items from graves (such as headstones, ornaments, or even human remains), or using grave sites for purposes other than burial or memorialisation.
A significant proportion of the Zimbabwean population believes in witchcraft and the disappearance of the toddler’s remains could be viewed as the work of witches or people dabbling in “juju” who use human body parts for ritual purposes.
Violating a grave is considered a criminal offence and is punishable under the Burial and Cremation Act.
The penalty for violating a grave can vary depending on the severity of the offense and the circumstances surrounding it.
Those found guilty may face imprisonment for up to two years or be required to pay a fine.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

12 Month Old Baby's Grave Dug Up, Body “Stolen”

Church leaders have condemned the desecration of Zinyengere Cemetery in the dormitory town of Epworth by sand poachers.
Reports indicate that several graves at the site have been exhumed, with the human remains thrown into the nearby Jacha stream by the sand poachers.
Methodist Church in Zimbabwe (MCZ) superintendent for Epworth Circuit, Reverend Josias Mudenda, said:
<blockquote>
I have gone to the graveyard many times to bury fellow church members, only to see what is happening there. It is an eyesore.
The Bible even says graveyards are sacred places. In the Bible, Nehemiah said he could not rest while the place of his fathers’ graves lies waste and the gates are consumed by fire, showing the respect he had for the dead.
I believe that graves should be walled and gated. The local authority needs to work with the community to protect this site.
</blockquote>
The sand poachers are said to be led by a man only known as Christopher.
Meanwhile, Isaac Chirimba, a senior resident of Epworth, criticised the sand poachers for disrespecting the dead. He said:
<blockquote>
These youths are very disrespectful. What they are doing is taboo. Invading a graveyard to earn a few dollars is unacceptable in our society.
Last month, we went to the cemetery to bury a relative and discovered that some of the graves were missing, much to our surprise.
We were shocked when we found a skull and bones scattered all over the place.
</blockquote>
Another senior citizen, Gogo Hilda Sithole, said the sand poachers have access to the graveyard after vandalising a perimeter wall that had been erected at the cemetery by locals. She said:
<blockquote>
Epworth is my home. I have been here with my family since 1960. We used to bury children in this place you now see as plain ground. There is nothing to show that there were graves there.
This is all the work of sand poachers, who will stop at nothing to get what they want.
</blockquote>
Epworth Local Board secretary Wilton Mhanda conceded that sand poachers were a menace but said the issue has been blown out of proportion. He said:
<blockquote>
Yes, there are sand poachers, but the situation is exaggerated. We usually conduct raids and culprits are brought to book.
</blockquote>
ZRP community liaison officer for Epworth, Sergeant Maliana Davis, said they were not aware of any cemetery invasion by sand poachers. She said:
<blockquote>
As Epworth ZRP, we are committed to duty. The last time council engaged us was, when some people were constructing houses in the cemetery. We worked together well on the matter.
</blockquote>
| <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/no-resting-in-peace-%e2%96%a0-sand-poachers-invade-graveyard-%e2%96%a0-greed-dwarfs-logic">The Sunday Mail</a>

Methodist Church Pastor Condemns "Desecration" Of Graveyard In Epworth

A Mwenezi man has been arrested after he dug up his mother’s grave claiming that she was buried alive.
Moses Gumbo (32), from Sosonye Jingatira Village under Chief Murove in Mwenezi was found digging his mother’s grave recently.
He told his captors that his mother Miriam Magwegwe was appearing to him in his sleep and telling him that she was buried alive.
Gumbo said that his mother also instructed him to exhume her.
The mother died a few months back.
He appeared before Mwenezi Resident Magistrate Honesty Musiiwa on Friday last week facing a charge of violating graves.
Prosecutor Leyton Katsidzira told the court that on 3 October 2021, Gumbo proceeded to Magwegwe’s grave and dug it out to a depth of 1.4m.
Villagers who saw him reported the matter to the police leading to his arrest.
The court ordered him to be examined by two doctors as it is suspected that the accused is mentally challenged.
<h4>More: <a href="https://masvingomirror.com/man-digs-mothers-grave-believes-she-was-buried-alive/">The Mirror</a></h4>

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