adminMidlands Correspondent
THE family of the Gokwe woman whose body was allegedly buried right in front of her husband’s bedroom hut yesterday said they were willing to engage their in-laws.They said their move to bury their relative outside her husband’s hut was done out of anger.
The deceased woman, Ms Julia Sadomba, was buried at the doorstep of her husband, Mr Nicholas Mpofu’s bedroom hut following an impasse over lobola.
Mr Mpofu and his family later approached the police seeking the exhumation of Sadomba’s body. In an interview yesterday, Sadomba’s uncle, Mr David Foya said they were willing to engage their in-laws and finally give their departed relative a decent burial.
He said their decision to bury their relative at the doorstep of Mr Mpofu’s bedroom hut had nothing to do with their son-in-law’s failure to pay lobola.
Mr Foya said their in-laws failed to give them due respect resulting in the misunderstanding.
“It’s true that our son-in-law, Mr Mpofu did not pay anything as lobola. He has been staying with our daughter since 2009. She then fell ill and he decided to go and dump her at Gokwe District Hospital without even notifying us,” he said.
Mr Foya said what was more disturbing was that Mr Mpofu gave false information to the hospital authorities with regards to the now deceased’s name and marital status.
“The name he gave to the hospital and that which came out in the media, (Barbra Zimuto) was not the correct name. Mr Mpofu also told the hospital authorities that our relative was a widow when he went and dumped her at the hospital without notifying us,” he said.
Mr Foya said they were forced to take their relative to Mr Mpofu’s homestead and buried her at what used to be her bedroom’s entrance after Mr Mpofu made some attempts to have her buried in Gokwe Town.
“When our relative passed on at Gokwe Hospital, our in-laws did not bother to inform us. In fact, Mr Mpofu visited the hospital three days after his wife’s death after we called him and suggested that she be buried at Gokwe town cemetery. We felt insulted and decided to go and bury her right in front of what used to be her bedroom,” he said.
Mr Foya said their in-laws never bothered to make a follow up after the burial and instead chose to go to the police.
“It’s so painful that up to now, our in-laws are refusing to show us some respect. We thought they would engage us but they decided to report the matter to the police. It’s pathetic,” he said.
A relative to the Mpofu family, Mr John Majaya said last week that they decided to approach the police over the matter after the now deceased’s relatives refused to give in and kept on demanding their lobola.
He said they decided to report the matter to the police after the local traditional leader, Chief Nenyunga, failed to convince the deceased Julia Sadomba’s family not to bury their relative in front of the bedroom hut.
Mr Majaya said yesterday the police were still to act over the matter when contacted for a comment. Mr Mpofu’s mobile phone was not reachable.
Online Reporter