News / Local
Family fight over inferno death
08 May 2016 at 05:17hrs | Views
THE death of five family members in a fire last week in Bulawayo's Nketa 6 suburb has raised a lot of stink as one of the children Nicolette (12), sired out of wedlock had her body stuck at United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) mortuary because of disputes between two families over who will collect her body for burial.
Sunday News reported that the child was sired by Musafare Chidembo who survived the inferno with Nontokozo Mlilo but grew up in the custody of her maternal grandmother, Enita Mlilo for the past 12 years. However, in February she moved to stay with her father at the Nketa house. The two families were yesterday camped at UBH waiting to collect her body. The grandmother, Mlilo was at pains to express her disappointment in the manner in which the issue was handled.
"When the child was born I took care of her as she could not stay at her father's place, the Chidembos even refused seven times to assist in acquiring a birth certificate for her and we resorted to making Nontokozo get the birth certificate alone. Just recently in February the father asked for her to stay with them in Nketa and we agreed. It is unfortunate she died while in their custody," said Mlilo.
She went on: "What hurts is that I was told the day after the fire that she had died and went to their house to mourn and went back home. The next day I went back to the Chidembos' home and asked to go and see the body of the child so that I see what she looked like after she died considering that I was in custody of her all these years. I also wanted to understand what really happened in the fire accident. The family said they were going to assist me but I spent the whole day with no response from them. The younger brother to Musafare called Tapera then said he was coming to collect us the next day so that we go to the mortuary as they were waiting for elders from their rural home."
Mlilo showed Sunday News a funeral policy for Nicollette as she said her granddaughter was just like her own child after raising her and was prepared to bury her. She said the Chidembos never showed up the next day.
"We ended up having the mother of the child coming from South Africa where she stays and we still have not seen the body of the child. She called the relatives of the child and they said they were going to take her to their home and meet with elders of the Chidembo family. We went there and spent hours there and they said nothing to us. We then asked why they had called us.
Sunday News reported that the child was sired by Musafare Chidembo who survived the inferno with Nontokozo Mlilo but grew up in the custody of her maternal grandmother, Enita Mlilo for the past 12 years. However, in February she moved to stay with her father at the Nketa house. The two families were yesterday camped at UBH waiting to collect her body. The grandmother, Mlilo was at pains to express her disappointment in the manner in which the issue was handled.
"When the child was born I took care of her as she could not stay at her father's place, the Chidembos even refused seven times to assist in acquiring a birth certificate for her and we resorted to making Nontokozo get the birth certificate alone. Just recently in February the father asked for her to stay with them in Nketa and we agreed. It is unfortunate she died while in their custody," said Mlilo.
She went on: "What hurts is that I was told the day after the fire that she had died and went to their house to mourn and went back home. The next day I went back to the Chidembos' home and asked to go and see the body of the child so that I see what she looked like after she died considering that I was in custody of her all these years. I also wanted to understand what really happened in the fire accident. The family said they were going to assist me but I spent the whole day with no response from them. The younger brother to Musafare called Tapera then said he was coming to collect us the next day so that we go to the mortuary as they were waiting for elders from their rural home."
Mlilo showed Sunday News a funeral policy for Nicollette as she said her granddaughter was just like her own child after raising her and was prepared to bury her. She said the Chidembos never showed up the next day.
"We ended up having the mother of the child coming from South Africa where she stays and we still have not seen the body of the child. She called the relatives of the child and they said they were going to take her to their home and meet with elders of the Chidembo family. We went there and spent hours there and they said nothing to us. We then asked why they had called us.
Source - Sunday News
