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Post Reporter
THE coffin carrying the late Ashley Mbengani’s body who was allegedly fatally assaulted at Dhunza Nite Club in Dangamvura by four suspects, including the proprietor, Daniel Magaisa, was last week on Saturday taken to the club by angry mourners who were baying for the blood of the alleged killers.
The funeral parade which was staged in theatrical style drew the attention of scores of residents from the sprawling suburb of Dangamvura and they gathered at the club to witness the drama.
The angry mourners were determined to take Mbengani’s coffin into the club, but failed to do so as the doors were locked, while police maintained a hawk’s eye on the proceedings.
The mourners broke into song and dance.
Some of them shouted unprintable words, demanding justice on the alleged perpetrators.
Others downed different alcoholic beverages and threw wreaths on the night club’s entrance while a few could be seen performing rituals at the night club entrance before police moved in to disperse them.
Mbengani who was allegedly fatally assaulted by Magaisa, Kuda Chineuriri (29) and Blessing Makore (21) with fists, an iron bar and wooden logs, was finally laid to rest at Dangamvura Cemetery.
Scores of mourners gathered to pay their last respects and more rituals were done at the grave.
Mbengani was buried a week after the alleged murder.
Early this week, The Manica Post tracked the deceased’s relatives and they revealed that the alleged killers did not show any remorse.
The relatives called for justice to prevail, highlighting that no amount of money will bring back the late Mbengani.
The deceased’s uncle, Mr Ignatius Takawira said they were devastated.
“It is something that happened when we least expected it. There is nothing we want from them. We will not force them to compensate us. We hope the law will take its course and bring justice to the whole issue.
“Even if he had stolen the phone as alleged, it was not proper for them to fatally assault him. They should have handed him over to the police and not to take the law into their hands. We will never look for them, they will come when they feel the time is right for them to do so,” said Mr Takawira.
The deceased’s aunt, Ms Patience Moyo is yet to come to terms with her nephew’s death.
“We are so hurt by the way he died. We understand that he was beaten for stealing a cellphone, although other theories are coming up. The post-mortem showed that he succumbed to the life-threatening injuries he suffered during the assault.
“He did not deserve to die in such a brutal manner. He died a painful death. One of the suspects approached us last week on Tuesday and said they wanted to contribute towards the burial. Why would they do that if they were innocent? Their money for cabbages and a coffin will not bring back my nephew.
“We were expecting them to come back the following day, but they did not. We will not make a follow-up on them as we don’t care about their assistance or anything.
“We were surprised that they were granted bail because we thought the court would be guided by the post-mortem report. The report which was done in Harare is self-explanatory on the degree of force that was used in assaulting our relative. Justice will surely prevail, either through the courts or otherwise,” said Ms Moyo.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed the funeral drama and said people should respect the sanctity of life.
“It is an offence to violate a dead body. People should learn to respect dead bodies and should avoid roaming around and parading them like they are celebrating their deaths. Parading corpses in protest is in bad taste and should be avoided,” he said.
Efforts to contact Magaisa for a comment were fruitless as his phone was unreachable.
However, it is now business as usual at the night club, with the proprietor posting fliers advertising the joint’s upcoming events on social media.
Online Reporter