Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Chinhoyi magistrate Kudzanai Mahaso has granted village head Tinos Manongovere’s request for an inspection in loco at the site where the late former President Robert Mugabe’s remains were set for burial at the National Heroes Acre in Harare and the family cemetery in Zvimba where he was buried, reported NewsDay.
An “inspection in loco” is a legal term meaning an inspection or examination conducted on-site, at the actual location relevant to a case or dispute.
This allows the magistrate or legal officials to directly observe and gather evidence from the physical location.
Mahaso said that the inspection would take place at both locations this Thursday.
The former First Family’s lawyer, Kudzanai Gombiro, confirmed the determination made at the Chinhoyi Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Said Gombiro:
Yes, Manongovere requested to show the court places where Mugabe family members are buried in Zvimba and a place they wanted him buried at Heroes Acre and the request was granted by the magistrate. We are going to the two places tomorrow.
Manongovere took Grace Mugabe, Mugabe’s widow, to Chief Zvimba’s traditional court, asserting that Mugabe was not buried according to their tradition and should be reburied at the National Heroes Acre.
Chief Zvimba ordered Grace to exhume Mugabe’s remains from their Kutama homestead and rebury them at the National Heroes Acre, where a mausoleum had been constructed.
The traditional leader found Grace guilty of violating tradition by burying Mugabe at his homestead.
In September 2021, a magistrate court confirmed Chief Zvimba’s ruling, despite Mugabe’s children arguing that the chief acted outside his jurisdiction.
Grace was ordered to facilitate the exhumation and fined five cows and two goats.
Mugabe died in September 2019 at age 95 and was buried at Kutama. There were attempts by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration to have him interred at the National Heroes Acre in Harare.
This resulted in a stand-off between the government and Mugabe’s family that lasted nearly three weeks.
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