The body of Zimbabwe’s late former President Robert Mugabe has been buried in his rural village of Kutama after weeks of wrangling between his family and the government over his final resting place.
Mugabe died in a Singapore hospital on September 6, aged 95, almost two years after a military coup ended his 37-year rule.
Hundreds of mourners assembled for the low-key event, which was initially intended to be a private family ceremony.
Many wore white Mugabe-emblazoned T-shirts with the slogans “Founding father”, “Liberator” and “Torch bearer”. Some were singing and dancing, while others sat quietly under two white tents set up for the occasion.
Mugabe’s widow Grace and his children accompanied the casket – draped in Zimbabwe’s green, yellow, red and black flag.
White flower installations spelt out the words “Dad” and “Baba”, meaning “father” in the local Shona language.
“This is a man who made use of the gifts he was given by God,” said the priest who presided over the funeral. “This man was an asset, he was not a liability.”
No senior government officials were among the audience, including President Emerson Mnangagwa a once-trusted deputy who helped remove Mugabe from power in 2017.
