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 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.
