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Liberty Dube
Weekend Correspondent
BUSINESS was last week brought to a standstill in the sprawling suburb of Dangamvura following the death of 20-year-old Ralf Fungai Getsi Murera, popularly known as Mandonye, who drowned in a swimming pool during a birthday party held in Weirmouth recently.
A long cavalcade of luxury cars took hours to reach the deceased’s final resting place at Dangamvura Cemetery.
Mourners mainly comprised of ghetto youths, ladies of the night and hoodlums from Dangamvura.
They jostled to dominate proceedings and took Murera’s casket to Weirmouth where the tragic incident happened.
A video of the casket placed by the poolside as semi-naked mourners, some of them visibly drunk and swimming in the pool, has since gone viral on various social media platforms.
Mourners spent about 30 minutes as they sang, danced and shouted obscenities at the swimming pool.
They then took the body to the late Murera’s favourite drinking hotspots in Dangamvura; including the Dhuza Sports Bar at Boka Complex as well as to Rozvi Bar at Matongo Business Centre where he was employed as a general hand.
When contacted for a comment on Tuesday, the Makoni family disassociated themselves from the pool death incident, saying they only provided the venue for the party.
“Those who attended hired the venue and were doing their own things. We were not involved in any of their activities. They had their own life savers and it was just a pure business transaction,” said Kingstone Makoni.
Asked if they will continue hosting events of that nature at their house, he said: “I will not talk about that for now.”
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka said the mourners’ actions were illegal.
“Moving around with a casket carrying a dead body and visiting places for stop-overs like what they did is pure violation of a dead body. It is criminal. It is an offence in the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act to violate a dead body. We do not condone such behaviour and it should be treated with the contempt it deserves. We urge people to desist from such behaviour or they will face the full wrath of the law,” he said.
Police revealed that they had gathered that Murera was drunk when he jumped into the pool and drowned.
Murera drowned at a birthday pool party recently thrown for Takudzwa Munongwa (20) and his twin brother, Tinotenda.
The twins had invited several guests, including the now late Murera.
At the party, Murera and other guests were drinking beer and swimming in the shallow part of the swimming pool.
Later during the day, Murera jumped to the deeper part of the swimming pool and drowned.
He was retrieved by Metro Hondo who was among the guests.
First aid was rendered on Murera before he was ferried to Dangamvura Polyclinic by Wellington Maradza.
Upon arrival at the clinic, Murera was transferred to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital where he received treatment and later died.
Online Reporter