Mugabe’s nephew pledges to challenge reburial ruling

Former President Robert Mugabe's nephew says his family will challenge the ruling by a Zvimba traditional chief to have his uncle's remains exhumed. As previously reported in Legalbrief Today, a traditional court last week ruled that the remains should be exhumed and reburied at National Heroes Acre in Harare by 1 July. The Zvimba traditional court which is located where Mugabe was born, oversees village matters and has jurisdiction in cultural, traditional and customary issues. If Mugabe’s widow Grace – who was summoned but failed to attend because she was in Singapore – defies the ruling, the court, with the assistance of the Magistrate’s Court, will ensure the process goes ahead. However, New Zimbabwe reports that Leo Mugabe described the ruling as ‘a legal nullity’ which he will challenge in court. ‘Why the hullabaloo? (Chief Stanley Zvimba) is looking for relevance with the government. He's not an immediate Mugabe family member…he's actually very far,’ he said. At the time of Mugabe’s death the government and his family were at loggerheads regarding the place of burial. Mugabe had told his family he didn’t want to be buried at Heroes Acre by ‘his tormentors’, as he had been ousted through a coup in November 2017.