Category Archives: Obituaries

MaraviPost : most recent significant obituaries in Malawi and those affecting the Malawi Diaspora all over the world.

Lifestyle, Obituaries, Top News

Bizarre: Malawi’s Ntchisi sick woman commits suicide while in hospital

Richard Kayenda
Bizarre: Malawi’s Ntchisi sick woman commits suicide while in hospital

NTCHISI-(MaraviPost)-A woman who was admitted at Ntchisi District Hospital has died on Sunday morning after committing suicide.

The woman, Masanio Chikwanu, was admitted at the weekend after complaining of headache and she was guarded by her elder sister.

According to the sister, the diseased left her bed when the sister went out of the ward.

 When she returned, she realised that her sick sister was not on the bed.  So, she informed paramedics in the hospital who,  together with her, embarked on a search.

No sooner did they start to look for her outside the hospital than they found her hanging on a tree.

A post-moterm conducted at the hospital showed that the woman died of suffocation.

Ntchisi Police Publicist Relations Officer, Sub – Inspector, Richard Kaponda,  says police are yet to establish what forced the late to take such a bad decision.

 Police further advise the general public not to resort to suicide whenever they are faced with problems. Instead, they should resort to psychosocial therapies.

Lifestyle, Obituaries, Top News

Mugabe’s body saga exposes witchcraft beliefs in ZANU PF

Maravi Post Reporter 1 Comment

HARARE-(MaraviPost)-The decision by the Mugabe family  to cling on to the body of the late former President Robert Mugabe has revealed deep beliefs in and heavy  reliance on witchcraft within Zanu-PF and their political gamesmanship. 

Mugabe did in Singapore on 6 September and when his body was repatriated to Zimbabwe, his family has refused to let the former Zimbabwean leaders casket out of their sight. 

After a state funeral service two weeks ago, the Mugabe family remained with custody of the body believed to be kept at his Blue Roof Mansion. 

According to reports, the family has refused to allow the government to take Mugabe’s body to One Commando Barracks or any other mortuary as they believe that his enemies want to take his organs and use them for rituals to enhance their powers and stay on the throne. 

Mugabe was deposed in a military coup in 2017 and was replaced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa. 

In tbe wake of the Mugabe body debacle, award winning Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has suggested that an investigation be done to uncover the link between witchcraft and state power. 

“We really need to interrogate the use of Juju in African politics. For Robert Mugabe to insist that his casket should never be in the custody of anyone else other than his family, there is something he knew about how things are done here.That mythical stuff should be talked about,” he said.

Mugabe himself in 2014 accused his then deputy Joice Mujuru of engaging Nigerian inyangas to bewitch him so that she could ascend to the presidency.

Source: zimeye.net

Lifestyle, Obituaries

RSA President Ramaphosa booed at Mugabe Funeral… Apologises for Xenophibia

Lloyd M’bwana

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa

HARARE-(MaraviPost)-South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was booed by crowds who were gathered at the National Sports Stadium on Saturday afternoon when he took to the podium to deliver his speech during the State Funeral of the late President Robert Mugabe.

The Master of Ceremony, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Cain Mathema was forced to interrupt Ramaphosa a few seconds into his speech as his voice was drowned by booing and whistling.

Mathema had to plead with Zimbabweans to allow Ramaphosa to proceed, as the crowd was visibly angry over the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

As Ramaphosa continued with his speech, the crowd continued to heckle the South African President.

Ramaphosa apologised for the violence that was targeted at foreigners, drawing a loud cheer from the crowd. He, however, insisted that South Africans are not xenophobic.

He ended his speech with these words; “Fambai Zvakanaka Gushungo”.

Source:  pindula.co.zw

Obituaries, SADC

Leo Mugabe says ‘there will be no person in the coffin’ #mugabeburial

Maravi Post Reporter

The late Mugabe remain lying in state

HARARE-(MaraviPost)-From a coup which they said was not a coup to a burial that is not a burial. Family spokesman Leo Mugabe says: “There will be no body-viewing because there will be no person in the coffin. Eh …. it’s normal, it’s normal.”

Mugabe’s body arrived in Zimbabwe from Singapore on Wednesday and started three days of lying in state on Thursday.

Some of Mugabe’s relatives have expressed bitterness at the way former comrades including Mnangagwa ousted him and pushed for Mugabe to be buried in his home village.

Malawi, Obituaries, Regional

Former Zimbabwe leader Mugabe to be buried at national monument

Lloyd M’bwana
Ex-Zimbabwe leader Mugabe to be buried at national monument
Mugabe held power in Zimbabwe for 37 years before being overthrown amid mass protests against his rule [Wilfred Kajese/Anadolu]

HARARE-(MaraviPost)-Late former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe will be buried at a monument for national heroes in the capital, Harare, a family spokesman said, but the date has not been decided yet.

The decision to inter Mugabe at the state burial site is the latest turn in the tussle between his family and President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s once-trusted deputy who helped remove him from power in late 2017.

Aljezeera understands that confirmation follows tussle between family and President Mnangagwa over burial site.

On Thursday, the family had said that the former Zimbabwe president, whose body was flown back from Singapore on Wednesday, would be buried in his home town in a private ceremony.

But on Friday, family spokesman Leo Mugabe said it had been decided the deceased would be buried at Heroes’ Acre after consultations with influential traditional chiefs.

“I can confirm that he will be buried at the National Heroes Acre on Sunday,” Leo told reporters at the family’s Blue Roof house.

“The private burial will be post-Sunday … there are certain preparations that need to be done at Heroes’ Acre and those developments will take time. These developments are the specifications from the chiefs themselves,” Leo added.

Leo said an official ceremony would be followed by a private family event at the monument to heroes of the liberation war against white minority rule.

The former president has been lying in state in Harare since Thursday after the government announced three days of national mourning. His body was on view at Rufaro Stadium for a second day on Friday.

A stampede on Thursday injured several people trying to view it.

‘National icon’

Some of Mugabe’s relatives have expressed bitterness at the way former close associates, including Mnangagwa, overthrew him after 37 years in power amid mass protests against his rule.

While some still hail Mugabe as a liberator, others recall the repression and economic mismanagement that brought Zimbabwe to its knees.

Mnangagwa, a one-time protege of Mugabe, called the former president a “national icon” after his death.

Mugabe fired Mnangagwa in 2017, in what many believed was an attempt to position his wife Grace to succeed him.

The wrangle over the burial highlighted the lasting acrimony between Mnangagwa and Mugabe’s widow, Grace, and other family members. Mnangagwa met with them to try to resolve the burial dispute and on Thursday said his government would respect the family’s wishes, adding they have “the full support of the government”.

On Friday, foreign dignitaries were due to start arriving in Harare ahead of a state funeral planned to be held at the country’s National Sports Stadium on Saturday.

Heads of state expected to attend the funeral include China’s President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta.

Source: Aljezeera

Lifestyle, Obituaries, Top News

Robert Mugabe remains lies on state..Family says burial next week in his village

Maravi Post Reporter

HARARE-(MaraviPost)-The former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe’s family opposes government plan to bury him at the national monument for liberation heroes.

Robert Mugabe to be buried next week in his village: Family
Mugabe’s final burial place has been a point of dispute between his family and the government [Wilfred Kajese/Anadolu] 

The late Mugabe according to his family is expected be buried in his village early next week and not at a national monument for liberation heroes in the capital, Harare, his family said.

Mugabe’s family and Zimbabwe‘s government have been at odds over whether he should be buried in his hometown in Kutama, northwest of Harare, or at the National Heroes Acre in the capital.

“His body will lie in state at Kutama on Sunday night … followed by a private burial – either Monday or Tuesday – no National Heroes Acre. That’s the decision of the whole family,” his nephew Leo Mugabe told AFP news agency on Thursday.

Mugabe, whose rule ended in a military coup in 2017, died last week, aged 95. His body was flown back from Singapore, where he was receiving treatment, on Wednesday.

Zimbabweans have been split over the death of a leader once hailed for ending white-minority rule in what was then called Rhodesia but who later purged his foes in a brutal crackdown.

His leadership and economic mismanagement forced millions to escape a country crippled by hyperinflation and shortages of food, drugs and fuel.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa had declared Mugabe a national hero after his death, indicating he should be buried at the national monument.

But the family said traditional chiefs in his home region of Zvimba should decide where he will be buried.

Some family members are still bitter over his removal, and the role his former ally Mnangagwa played.

Mugabe fired Mnangagwa in 2017, in what many believed was an attempt to position his wife Grace to succeed him.

Mugabe was overthrown by the military following massive protests.

Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa reporting from Harare said that one of Mugabe’s nephews has released a statement explaining that the family will have a private burial “because they’re angry at the way that Robert Mugabe was removed during a coup back in 2017”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, former Cuban leader Raul Castro and a dozen African presidents, including South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, are among those expected to attend Mugabe’s state funeral on Saturday in Harare.

Lifestyle, Obituaries

What next for Robert Mugabe kids?

Lloyd M’bwana

HARARE-(MaraviPost)-The former Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe may be gone, but his children will carry the name, good or bad, in their chosen paths which feature showbiz, farming and mining, for years to come.

When Mugabe married Grace, she had a son from a previous marriage to an air force officer, Stanley Goreraza. Their child, Russell, became the eldest in the Mugabe household.

Russell was close to his mother’s business interests and, to some extent, used her influence in striking multimillion dollar contracts. His most publicised deal was the acquisition of platinum concessions by a Kazakhstan company, Todal Mining, in which he played the role of middleman.

It was a lucrative venture for Russell who also acted as his mother’s “fixer” in a deal where they purchased a US$1,5m diamond ring from Lebanese businessman Jamal Hamed.

Hamed is now suing them for US$4m over the alleged “unlawful seizure” of his houses in Harare.

At the time of his stepfather’s death, Russell had relocated to Sandton, Johannesburg, with some associates who ruled the Harare social scene when Mugabe was in power.

 

Chatunga Bellarmine, unlike Robert jr who is more reserved, likes a good night out and flaunting the first family’s wealth.

Mugabe’s first born and daughter Bona is married to a former pilot, Simba Chikore, and they gifted him with his only grandchild. In Bona, Mugabe saw himself. During his last days in power, he took her on international diplomatic missions. He also appointed her to the Zimbabwe Censorship Board, part of whose mandate was to deal with the “Mugabe insults”.

In the week her father was toppled in November 2017, her wheat farm was burnt by angry protesters. She then withdrew into private life, surfacing at a show for Nigerian musician Davido in Harare in April 2018. One of her notable extravagant projects was the construction of a multimillion dollar mansion in a prime area in Harare.

The two “bad boys” of the Mugabe household, Robert Junior and Bellarmine Chatunga, are the most prominent. The inseparable pair’s champagne lifestyle caused some turbulence, even sparking a diplomatic controversy when their mother walked in on a “party” and allegedly beat Gabriella Engels with an electrical cord upon finding her in the boys’ rented apartment in Sandton.

The boys were not academically gifted. Robert Junior dropped out of university. Bellarmine earned the nickname “Undertaker” from his father. They run a promising entertainment business, Triplife Entertainment.

In 2016 Chatunga reportedly approached a local bank for a loan to finance his business but was turned down.

In an interview with the state run Herald last month, Chatunga said their entertainment venture had been funded by their sceptical parents.

“My parents actually gave me money. I am not going to lie to you. My parents used to say, ‘we don’t know what’s going to happen, we don’t know whether this will work out or not’.”

Privileged or not, they will both benefit from and be disadvantaged by their late father’s controversial legacy. –

Source:

Lifestyle, Obituaries, Top News

Robert Mugabe remains arrived in Zimbabwe ready for burial Saturday

Ufulu

Casket with Mugabe’s body brought down through the cargo section of the jet

The coffin of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare on 11 September 2019. Picture: Thomas Holder/EWN.

 

HARARE-(MaraviPost)-The body remains of Zimbabwe former President Robert Mugabe arrived in the city Harare on Wednesday afternoon ready for burial.

Accompanying the body was Mugabe’s widow, Grace and the former First Couple’s three children and son-in-law Simbarashe Chikore as well as a few relatives.

The Mugabe family came aboard the charter flight A6-DAS and almost all were dressed in mourning black attires.

Mugabe, a guerrilla leader who rose to power after Zimbabwe’s independence from Britain and governed until he was ousted by the military in 2017, died in Singapore on Friday, aged 95.

His health deteriorated after he was toppled by the army and former loyalists in November 2017, ending an increasingly iron-fisted rule during which he crushed his opponents.

Around two thousand supporters, family members and government officials were on the tarmac at Harare airport to welcome Mugabe’s remains as they arrived by charter flight from Singapore and his Casket was brought down from the cargo section of the jet.

Soldiers stood guard along a red carpet as military officers walked solemnly with the coffin drapped in the green, gold, black and red national flag.

His wife, Grace, wearing a black veil, sat with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The body will be taken to Mugabe’s private Harare residence, known as the Blue Roof, for the night.

It will be laid out for the public to pay their respects in Rufaro stadium on Thursday, before heading to his homestead Zvimba.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, former Cuban leader Raul Castro and a dozen African presidents, including Malawi’s Peter Mutharika, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, are among those expected to attend Mugabe’s state funeral on Saturday in Harare,

Lifestyle, Obituaries, Regional

Retired MI5 agent confesses on his deathbed- ” I Killed Princess Diana because she knew secrets of royalty

Lloyd M’bwana 14 Comments

The Late Princess Diana

LONDON-(MaraviPost)-Princess Diana – the people’s princess. She was adored by everyone who knew her, and she brought light wherever she went.

She was known for her compassion and kindness, grace and elegance. Life was cruel to steal her so young from her people, at such a young age, too.

Her death since then has affected thousands all over, especially when news of her death first leaked.

The entire world was in mourning. Even now, many years later, her death still leaves a scar in the hearts of her people.

Everyone thought, and it was investigated, too, that her death was caused by paparazzi chasing her, causing her and her then lover’s car to crash, resulting in the ill-fated lovers passing way immediately upon impact.

However, new evidence has been found. Or rather, someone has stepped forward to confess his crimes, after so many years. John Hopkins, a retired MI5 agent, has since made some terribly astonishing confessions since he has been released from the hospital on Wednesday, after being told he only had weeks left to leave.

He had kept his secrets for so long, so why is he finally letting them out of the bag? Because his demise is near, he claimed.

Moreover, many of those who were involved have already passed away; he added on as one of the reasons that he is finally confessing to crimes.

Source: boredpanda.com

Lifestyle, Obituaries

Zimbabwe blocks foreign leaders from Mugabe burial as row rages on final resting place

Maravi Post Reporter

The late former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe

HARARE-(MaraviPost)– A state funeral service for the late former Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe will be held at a sports stadium in Harare on September 14 and burial will be a day later, but there is still not decision on where he will be interred.

Zimbabwe’s foreign ministry wrote to foreign embassies attached to Harare on Saturday with the burial arrangements, but the communication tellingly left out information on the burial site amid reports of ongoing haggling between authorities and Mugabe’s family.

Bizarrely, the foreign ministry also said foreign leaders will be expected to immediately leave Zimbabwe at the end of the service and not attend the burial.

Mugabe died in a Singapore hospital aged 95 last Friday. Reports indicate that he left instructions that he wished to be buried in Kutama, his rural village, and not at the National Heroes Acre in Harare where Zimbabwe buries its “national heroes”.

“The state funeral service will be held on Saturday, September 14, 2019, in the morning at the National Sports Stadium in Harare. The times will be advised,” the foreign ministry said in a note to all diplomatic missions.

It added: “Heads of State/government wishing to attend the ceremony are advised to arrive in Harare on Friday, September 13, 2019… and depart immediately after the ceremony taking into consideration that government authorities will be fully occupied with preparations for the burial service/ceremony reserved for Sunday, September 15, 2019.

“The full programme for the funeral service will be made available in due course.”

Mugabe’s family is at loggerheads with the Zimbabwean government over where he should be buried.

Burial arrangements … In a note to foreign embassies, Zimbabwe’s foreign ministry says leaders should leave before Mugabe burialPresident Emmerson Mnangangwa, who seized power from Mugabe in a military coup in November 2017, wants to bury his predecessor next at the National Heroes Acre, a hilltop shrine in Harare.

But Mugabe is believed to have told his family that he wanted to be buried quietly with his mother, denying the politicians and generals who toppled him in 2017 the chance to “pontificate” over his dead body.

Zimbabwe government protocol says that Mnangagwa does not attend national heroes’ burials held away from the Heroes Acre. The police was explained recently when the Zanu PF leader skipped Dumiso Dabengwa’s burial.

By telling foreign leaders to leave a day earlier, the Zimbabwe government could be trying to prevent a situation where foreign leaders go to Mugabe’s rural home in the absence of Mnangagwa.

Vice President Kembo Mohadi is leading a delegation flying by private jet to Singapore to return with Mugabe’s body on Wednesday.

“He died a very bitter man,” family spokesman and nephew Leo Mugabe told reporters at the family’s rural home on Saturday.

“Imagine the people that are guarding you, that you trusted the most, turn against you.”

Mnangangwa and family members will receive Mugabe’s body at the main airport named after him in Harare on Wednesday.

The body will be taken to his rural home in Kutama about 85km south-west of Harare before being returned to Harare for the service at the stadium.

Mnangagwa has described Mugabe as “a great teacher and mentor”, declaring him a national hero, the highest posthumous award in the country decreed by the Zanu PF party which Mugabe helped found and led for over four decades.

Mugabe’s first wife Sally is already buried there and there is another vacant plot for his much-despised second wife, Grace.

However, Mugabe did not want Mnangagwa and his allies to “hold forth and pontificate over his dead body” and make political capital out of his death, according to the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper.

“He was very bitter and it dented his legacy, … it was not an easy thing for him,” Mugabe’s nephew said on Saturday. – ZimLive