Former President Robert Gabriel Mugabe’s widow, Grace Mugabe, has insisted that she buried her husband according to his wishes and instructions.
The former second lady said that she followed her husband’s words and did nothing of her own accord when conducting the burial.
This comes after Grace was summoned to a traditional court last year for allegedly going against cultural and traditional rites by burying Mugabe at his homestead in Zvimba.
Grace did not attend the court. Traditional leader Chief Zvimba found Grace guilty of the charges and ordered her to pay a fine of 5 cows and a goat.
The traditional leader, born Stanley Mhondoro, controversially ordered that former President Robert Mugabe’s body should be exhumed and reburied at the National Heroes Acre in the capital.
While the Mugabe family had vowed to defy the ruling, Grace was yet to comment on the issue publicly. The former First Lady finally broke her silence on the matter when she attended the burial of ally Sarah Mahoka. Mahoka died in a car accident last week following a head-on collision.
Speaking at the burial, Grace addressed the issue head-on and insisted that she had followed her husband’s instructions regarding his burial. She also dared those who want to exhume him to go ahead.
“I buried my husband according to the instructions he left me, those who want to exhume him, go ahead, we are watching” Grace is quoted as saying by Zim Morning Post.
This comes after Grace was summoned to a traditional court last year for allegedly going against cultural and traditional rites by burying Mugabe at his homestead in Zvimba.
Grace did not attend the court. Traditional leader Chief Zvimba found Grace guilty of the charges and ordered her to pay a fine of 5 cows and a goat.
The traditional leader, born Stanley Mhondoro, controversially ordered that former President Robert Mugabe’s body should be exhumed and reburied at the National Heroes Acre in the capital.
While the Mugabe family had vowed to defy the ruling, Grace was yet to comment on the issue publicly. The former First Lady finally broke her silence on the matter when she attended the burial of ally Sarah Mahoka. Mahoka died in a car accident last week following a head-on collision.
Speaking at the burial, Grace addressed the issue head-on and insisted that she had followed her husband’s instructions regarding his burial. She also dared those who want to exhume him to go ahead.
“I buried my husband according to the instructions he left me, those who want to exhume him, go ahead, we are watching” Grace is quoted as saying by Zim Morning Post.
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| Grace Mugabe Finally Speaks On Exhumation Controversy. |
Mugabe’s nephew and spokesperson for the family, Leo Mugabe previously declared that the family will not comply with Chief Zvimba’s ruling. Leo said that the Chief has no jurisdiction over the matter and called his ruling on exhumation and reburial irrelevant.
“It’s a ruling against a widow, and the widow has nothing to do with the burying of her husband … This judgment is irrelevant if you were to ask me because in any case, Chief Zvimba does not preside over cases here.”
“They obviously need a court order in order to exercise the judgment, in which case we will oppose that court order in the courts, and they must be rest assured the road that they have taken is the wrong route.”
Leo also insisted that Chief Zvimba was the one who had violated cultural and traditional norms in the way he had handled the case.
“This case should have gone to the kraal head first. It’s like taking a case to the Supreme Court at the first instance, and after the Supreme Court, it won’t go anywhere.
“You have to follow the hierarchy of the courts. There should have gone to a kraal head and then to a headman and then Chief Peperere. That could have been the right thing to do. They didn’t do that.
“Even if it was the Chief to go to, his judgment is not final because there is the Magistrates Court, High Court and the Supreme Court. If it is a constitutional matter, which we think it is because he has no jurisdiction to handle the case, we would go to the Constitutional Court.
“This is far from over. We are ready to take him on.”
“It’s a ruling against a widow, and the widow has nothing to do with the burying of her husband … This judgment is irrelevant if you were to ask me because in any case, Chief Zvimba does not preside over cases here.”
“They obviously need a court order in order to exercise the judgment, in which case we will oppose that court order in the courts, and they must be rest assured the road that they have taken is the wrong route.”
Leo also insisted that Chief Zvimba was the one who had violated cultural and traditional norms in the way he had handled the case.
“This case should have gone to the kraal head first. It’s like taking a case to the Supreme Court at the first instance, and after the Supreme Court, it won’t go anywhere.
“You have to follow the hierarchy of the courts. There should have gone to a kraal head and then to a headman and then Chief Peperere. That could have been the right thing to do. They didn’t do that.
“Even if it was the Chief to go to, his judgment is not final because there is the Magistrates Court, High Court and the Supreme Court. If it is a constitutional matter, which we think it is because he has no jurisdiction to handle the case, we would go to the Constitutional Court.
“This is far from over. We are ready to take him on.”
