Family celebrates daughter-in-law's death

A FAMILY from Bulawayo's Nketa 8 suburb has threatened to bury their daughter at their in-laws' doorstep after her husband's family reportedly played a radio at high volume apparently celebrating her death.

Eva Chikoma died on Friday after complaining of shortness of breath the previous day. Chikoma had been staying at the house with her late husband's brothers at the time of her death.

A family member who spoke on condition of anonymity said: "Our in-laws, the Nhema family, seem happy about her death. On Saturday, after being told that she has died, they were playing the radio loudly, as if in celebration.

"I've never seen anything like this. The in-laws were told that Chikoma had passed away but they kept playing their radio. One of them even removed the red cloth by the gate saying there was no funeral. He only put it back after we confronted him," said the family member.

Chikoma's sister, Fungai Moyo, said: "Her in-laws didn't care about her and they ordered us to go and mourn elsewhere.  I am very shocked about what they did. They claimed that Eva was no longer their daughter-in-law."

Moyo narrated how Chikoma was treated at her husband's funeral last year.

"Her mother-in-law didn't like her. She accused my sister of killing her son. On our way to Mutare to bury Chikoma's husband last year, her mother-in-law stopped the car and threatened to drop her in the bush where there were lions.

"Right now they are chasing us away but Chikoma was staying here and she bore them three children. We told them that we are going to bury the body at their doorstep. What they are doing is taboo," said Moyo.

Members of the Nhema family were hostile to the news crew.

"Who told you there is a funeral here? We've got nothing to do with you," said a younger brother to Chikoma's late husband.