News / National
WATCH: Mass grave for Kombi crash victims
04 Dec 2017 at 12:09hrs | Views
The remains of eleven people, who were burnt beyond recognition in a horrific crash involving a commuter omnibus and a Honda CRV on 24 July 2017 in Mvurwi, were finally laid to rest in a mass grave on Sunday morning.
The burial was also supported by a cleansing ceremony to avoid further road carnage by a spirit medium tateguru Chiumbe Gwangwadza (Matarirano Mukuhwa 55-year-old ) who was putting on his traditional regalia with his aids.
In an interview with Chief Makope (Jacob Mapirinjanja), he lamented on government funding which took long to come for the event to occur.
"We received $700, 100litres fuel for the whole exercise which is very little from what we expected.
"These people died in July and we could not conduct such a big event without funding from the government.
"We hope the government will continue rendering assistance in events like this because for life to be saved there is need to appease ancestors," lamented Makope.
Relatives of the deceased who spoke to Bulawayo24.com implored the government to look after the surviving members since they have already assisted in the burial of the remains.
"We appreciate the move by the government to bury the remains in a mass grave and the little money they offered but it is our wish that they also look after the surviving members as most of them were bread winners especially the Kombi driver cleopas," said Cleopas's relatives.
Another bereaved man identified as Chokuda whose daughter died in that crash bemoaned the kombi owner for referring them to an insurance company that duped them.
"We welcome the move to bury the remains in mass grave because we could not identify them but l am disgruntled about being duped by the kombi owner who referred us to an insurance company that promised to compensate us but to date we got nothing."
Meanwhile, the cleansing ceremony is going on for seven days at the shrine in Forester turn off Mvurwi.
Rituals are being conducted and beast has been scarified with the brewing of opaque beer in appeasing the ancestors as by their tradition.
The burial was also supported by a cleansing ceremony to avoid further road carnage by a spirit medium tateguru Chiumbe Gwangwadza (Matarirano Mukuhwa 55-year-old ) who was putting on his traditional regalia with his aids.
In an interview with Chief Makope (Jacob Mapirinjanja), he lamented on government funding which took long to come for the event to occur.
"We received $700, 100litres fuel for the whole exercise which is very little from what we expected.
"We hope the government will continue rendering assistance in events like this because for life to be saved there is need to appease ancestors," lamented Makope.
Relatives of the deceased who spoke to Bulawayo24.com implored the government to look after the surviving members since they have already assisted in the burial of the remains.
"We appreciate the move by the government to bury the remains in a mass grave and the little money they offered but it is our wish that they also look after the surviving members as most of them were bread winners especially the Kombi driver cleopas," said Cleopas's relatives.
Another bereaved man identified as Chokuda whose daughter died in that crash bemoaned the kombi owner for referring them to an insurance company that duped them.
"We welcome the move to bury the remains in mass grave because we could not identify them but l am disgruntled about being duped by the kombi owner who referred us to an insurance company that promised to compensate us but to date we got nothing."
Meanwhile, the cleansing ceremony is going on for seven days at the shrine in Forester turn off Mvurwi.
Rituals are being conducted and beast has been scarified with the brewing of opaque beer in appeasing the ancestors as by their tradition.
Source - Byo24News
