Zimbabwe chief orders Mugabe remains exhumed, reburied

Traditional leader says former first lady broke local customs by burying Mugabe at his rural home.

A traditional chief in Zimbabwe has ordered the exhumation of Robert Mugabe’s remains and their reburial at the national heroes’ shrine in Harare after accusing the late leader’s wife of breaking local custom by interring him at his rural home in 2019. Mugabe, who was removed in a coup that brought Emmerson Mnangagwa to power in November 2017, was buried in the courtyard of his home at his village of Kutama after weeks of dispute with President Mnangagwa’s government over his final resting place. A traditional chief in the Zvimba district, which includes Kutama, said he had received a complaint from a Mugabe clan member over the manner of his burial.