A bizarre incident unfolded in the quiet community of Nzvimbe in Makoni in Manicaland province last week Sunday, disrupting the funeral proceedings of Darlington Mukono, a kombi driver who had passed away in Harare.
A group of touts, colleagues of the deceased, seized his coffin and dramatically placed it in the shop of his uncle, Joshua Hweniwa Mukono, accusing him of causing Darlington’s death.
Darlington reportedly collapsed and died while at the wheel of his kombi in Harare on September 27th. His body was transported back to his rural home in Nzvimbe for burial.
However, the funeral took a dramatic turn when the touts, who had travelled from Harare, arrived at the Nzvimbe business centre singing, dancing, and brandishing Darlington’s photographs. They then proceeded to Joshua’s shop, where they placed the coffin on the counter, disrupting business and bringing the usually peaceful centre to a standstill.
Abisha Mukono, a cousin of the deceased, spoke to reporters and denied instigating the touts against Joshua. He admitted, however, that there were long-standing family tensions and accusations of witchcraft levelled against Joshua. “Darlington’s death was not natural,” the touts argued, according to Abisha.
Abisha explained the events leading up to Darlington’s death: “He left his house in the morning going to work, and as he was seated on the steering wheel, his colleagues were shocked to hear him screaming, shouting ‘ahhh maihweee’ and collapsed. They rushed him to the hospital, and he died on admission.”
Abisha confirmed that the family was unaware of who had informed the touts about the internal family disputes.
“As a family, we did not know who informed them about previous squabbles and finger-pointing in the family,” he said.
He added that the family had not directly confronted Joshua about these issues.
“No family members accompanied the touts to the shop where they dumped the coffin on the counter. We only learnt through the social media that a coffin was dumped in the shop,” he said.
He further revealed that the family had previously consulted a traditional healer in Nyanga who had implicated Joshua in the family’s misfortunes. The healer had demanded US$12,000 for cleansing rituals, which the family was unable to afford.
Joshua had also refused to pay, initially offering his car as surety before fleeing the scene and later reporting the vehicle as stolen. Subsequent legal action against the family by Joshua, including charges of kidnapping, assault, and accusations of witchcraft, had been dismissed by the courts.
For his part, Joshua vehemently denied any involvement in Darlington’s death, attributing the accusations to jealousy stemming from his relative success. He claimed that US$4,570 and two bags of maize were stolen from his shop during the incident, and that other goods were looted to feed mourners at the funeral. He blamed the ongoing family feud on his father’s polygamous marriage and the influence of traditional healers who, he alleges, exploit the family’s misfortunes for their own gain.
“My brother has his own homestead in Buhera, but chose to stay at our father’s homestead in Nzvimbe. Ironically, our father has three wives. I do not even know the deceased, having last saw him when he was a toddler,” Joshua explained.
He described arriving at the funeral to offer condolences, only to later discover the coffin in his shop and the subsequent looting.
“They broke into the shop and placed the coffin on the counter. They pasted the deceased’s pictures inscribed rest in peace around the shop… They looted grocery from my shop, saying as the person responsible for Darlington’s death, I should foot the funeral expenses,” said Joshua.
He further detailed his past experiences with the family and traditional healers, including an incident where a healer claimed he and his children would die.
“If people have failed in their lives, they should stop harassing others,” he stated.
Chief Chiduku expressed his concern over the incident, noting its taboo nature, and expressed surprise that the matter hadn’t been brought before him for traditional resolution. Police from Nyazura attended the scene and recorded statements.
The coffin was returned to the family home, and Darlington was buried later that afternoon. The investigation into the theft from Joshua’s shop is ongoing.
