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The body of Robert Mugabe will be buried in his home town, following a final twist in a row over the former Zimbabwean leader’s resting place.
Mugabe died this month aged 95 and a funeral was held in the capital Harare.
The government had resisted his family’s wish for him to be buried in his home region of Zvimba, deciding that he should lay in Heroes Acre – a national monument and burial ground.
The family eventually consented, but on Thursday the government backtracked.
It was not immediately clear what prompted the late change in plans. The Mugabe family had appeared content with the burial at Heroes Acre, after it was agreed that a mausoleum would be built for the former leader.
In a statement published on Thursday, Information Minister Nick Mangwana said the change was in line with policy “to respect the wishes of families of deceased heroes”.
Mr Mugabe died in Singapore while receiving treatment for cancer, and his body was flown back to Zimbabwe.
In the wake of his death, the family publicly complained that they had not been consulted about arrangements for the state funeral.
In a statement, they accused the government of coercion, and said plans to bury Mugabe at the the monument were “contrary to [Mugabe’s] wishes”.
The statement said that one of his final wishes was for his wife, Grace Mugabe, to never leave Mr Mugabe’s coffin during the funeral and up until the point when he was buried.
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AFP
It is believed that Zimbabwe’s former first lady, Grace Mugabe, was intended to be her husband’s successor
Mr Mugabe’s family is said to be bitter over his being ousted by his former ally, President Mnangagwa, two years ago – a resentment that may have contributed to the clash over his burial place. Mr Mnangagwa had pushed for it to be Heroes Acre.
Mr Mnangagwa was fired from Mr Mugabe’s administration in 2017, in what many believed was a move to prepare Mrs Mugabe to succeed him.
Who was Robert Mugabe?
A former guerrilla leader, Mr Mugabe was Zimbabwe’s first leader after the country became independent in 1980. He held on to power for almost four decades before being ousted in the 2017 coup.
During his early years, he was praised for broadening access to health and education for the black majority.
- From liberator to tyrant
- In pictures: The life of Robert Mugabe
But his later years were marked by violent repression of his political opponents and Zimbabwe’s economic run. An increasing number of critics labelled him a dictator. He seized land from white owners in 2000.
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In 2017 he was placed under house arrest and four days later, replaced as the leader of his party Zanu-PF by his former vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mr Mugabe initially refused to resign. But, on 21 November, as a motion to impeach him was being debated in the Zimbabwean parliament, the speaker of the House of Assembly announced that Robert Mugabe had finally resigned.
Mugabe negotiated a deal which protected him and his family from the risk of future prosecution and enabled him to retain his various business interests. He was also granted a house, servants, vehicles and full diplomatic status.