Mugabe Funeral: Zimbabwe Ex-President Laid to Rest in Kutama

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 03:20 pm

Zimbabwe’s former President Robert Mugabe is being laid to rest in the rural village where he was born, three weeks after his death at the age of 95.

He is being buried in the courtyard of his home in Kutama, about 90km (55 miles) west of the capital Harare.

Mugabe died in a Singapore hospital on 6 September, nearly two years after a coup ended his 37 years in power.

The Mugabe family decided on a private burial in Kutama after weeks of argument with the government.

Ministers had wanted the body to rest at the National Heroes Acre in Harare. A mausoleum for the former president was being constructed at the site, which is reserved for heroes of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.

But Mugabe’s family said he had wanted to be buried at his rural home, close to his late mother Bona.

No senior government officials were among the audience at a pre-burial service in Kutama on Saturday, which was attended by hundreds of mourners. A sparsely attended state funeral was held for Mugabe in Harare on 14 September.

In Kutama, Mugabe’s widow Grace and his children accompanied the coffin, which was draped in the green, yellow, red and black flag of Zimbabwe.