…70 year old woman in dock for assaulting Chief
Brighton Chiseva
Controversial Chief Murinye real name Ephias Munodawafa was recently dressed down, humiliated and assaulted at a funeral in one of his villages.
He was assaulted together with three Zimbabwe Republic Police officers who had accompanied him to the funeral where he intended to stop the burial of one Jairos Zindoga at a ‘sacred’ place as per the areas’ tradition.
Masvingo Police referred all questions to the national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi who in turn could not be reached as he was not answering his cell. Murinye However confirmed the incident and said the matter was already at the police.
“I was assaulted after together with the police officers I had asked to escort me to the funeral. The deceased’s father is one of my village heads. So initially he had told me about the funeral, he later told me that his deceased son’s in-laws had suggested that they will bury him at his homestead contrary to our tradition. So after failing to stop them he then asked me to intervene that’s why I called the police to escort me there.
However, when we tried to solve the matter, they refused and chased me and the police from the homestead attacking us and I sustain some injuries.
The police later came back with reinforcements and arrested some of the perpetrators but some escaped, “said Murinye.
He said in his area it was against tradition to bury someone at home as there were cemeteries in the area. He said they intended to bury the deceased is sacred place called (Chirambakutemwa) in shona where traditional rites are done.
He said the incident could have been worsened by his sour relations with the neibouring Chief Mugabe whom he clashes with over boundaries.
Sources who were present at the funeral said Murinye and there police officers Sergeant Honest Nemadziwa, constables Tariro Moyo and Great Marecha arrived at the funeral around 6 am. They summoned mourners and adviced those to stop the burial process and use the common cemetery.
This did not go well with some of the relatives who started attacking the chief and the police.
“The deceased’s brother Austin openly told the chief that they were not going to obey his orders and were going to proceed with burial. Another relative, Muzenda Muzenda told the mourners that the chief was undermining them and needed a beating.
They then attacked the chief and the police with open hands, fists and sticks.
The chief sustained injuries including a swollen eye. The police watched helplessly as they were also attacked and they went away only to return around 2 pm with reinforcement and they managed to arrest 34people,” said the source
Another source said of the 4 arrested people, 3 were males while one was a 70 year old woman who was seen slapping the chief on the face in a video that is circulating on social media.
