Zimbabwe ex-president Robert Mugabe's family and the government squabbled over his burial on Thursday, with the place of the ceremony -- and even its date -- unclear after relatives snubbed a plan ...
Pall bearers carry a casket holding the remains of the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe as they leave his Blue Roof Mansion for public viewing at the Rufaro Stadium in Harare. Photo: AFP
Tensions erupted after President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government proposed a burial for the former guerrilla fighter at the National Heroes Acre in Harare, while the family said he would be buried at a private ceremony, possibly in his homestead of Kutama, northwest of the capital. Some family members are still bitter over Mugabe’s ouster and the role played by Mnangagwa, a long-time ally from their days as guerilla fighters who eventually turned against him.
Mnangagwa, who praised Mugabe as a national hero, sought to downplay any dispute on Thursday, saying he was still in talks with the deceased leader’s wife. “The obvious situation we are having here is there’s only one Robert Mugabe,” he told reporters. “They don’t want you to know where he is going to be buried.”
Mugabe took his oath of office in the stadium when colonial Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith handed over the reins of the country. He hoisted the new Zimbabwe flag and lit the independence flame on April 18, 1980 — bringing hope for a new era after a long insurgency.
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