Chaos as man arrested during wife’s funeral, relatives pull body out of grave

By Blessing Masakadza

A fist fight reportedly ensued last week at a funeral in Hopely Farm after in laws clashed resulting in the deceased’s coffin being fished out of the grave.

The deceased Ronica Mlambo was reportedly ill and when she died, her relatives, the Mupfumbu family, reportedly demanded US$2 500 from their son-in-law Crybert Nyakabau for not informing them of her illness.

Nyakabau and his family reportedly managed to raise US$1000 which was accepted as a fine. It emerged that the deceased had been bred at her uncles’ family, the Mlambos, where she got the surname after her mother and father separated.

Reports are that when the Mlambos discovered that the Mupfumbu family had punished the Nyakabaus for not informing them of their daughter’s illness, they also demanded their dues, US$1500, from the Mupfumbus.

Irked by the decision of their in laws in fining them, the Mupfumbu’s ditched the funeral. They allegedly demanded that Crybert settles the debt on their behalf. The Mlambos then authorised the burial of Ronica after a week of fighting.

It is said when the burial proceedings were underway, the Mupfumbu family rushed to the cemetery with the police in a commuter omnibus and stopped the proceedings. The coffin had to be pulled out of the grave as the Mupfumbus accused Crybert of murdering his wife.

“Pakangoiswa foshoro imwe yevhu vachibva vasvika, coffin rikaburitswa. Vanhu vakakuvara vakawanda,” said a close source.

“The relatives stopped the burial and demanded that a post-mortem be done with a private doctor. All was left in their (Mupfumbu) hands and the other relatives dispersed,” added the source.

Ronica was reportedly buried last Friday, November 22.

Meanwhile, her husband, Crybert was then arrested on the same day and charged with the murder of his wife and is currently in remand prison.