Online Reporter
Mathew Masinge
A HARARE man is in the eye of a storm after he allegedly mismanaged nearly US$2,000 raised to repatriate the body of his friend from South Africa.
Douglas Matadi, a trusted family friend, was handed US$1,975, which was collected through GoFundMe, to repatriate the body of Farai Mushamba, who died in Cape Town last month.
The money was meant to transport his body to Bikita, Masvingo, for burial.
Instead, the family claims the cash vanished and it was only given US$380 when it demanded to get the money back.
This forced the grieving Mushamba family to scramble for alternative funds to repatriate the body and lay Farai to rest on January 10.
“We trusted him because this was a funeral. We come from the same village in Bikita and we just call each other brothers nekuti mhuri dzedu dzinozivana.
“Asi haudaro pamari yerufu.
“While we were running around with burial logistics, he was busy enriching himself,” fumed family spokesperson Arthur Mushamba, the deceased’s elder brother.
The case has since been reported to the police.
It is now before Harare Central Police (CR1008/01/26).
After police pressure, Matadi began releasing the money in bits and pieces — US$100 on January 20, US$282 on January 21, and US$372 on February 2 — claiming he had mistakenly sent the funds to a wrong account.
So far, US$1134 has been returned, leaving US$843 still missing.
“He gave us silly excuses saying the technology he used to send money betrayed him and even threatened us, saying we couldn’t get him arrested.
“People contributed out of pain and respect. Now there are more questions than answers,” Mushamba said.
The saga has split mourners down the middle, with some demanding Matadi’s immediate arrest, while others say he deserves a chance to explain himself.
The missing balance has sparked heated confrontations and bitter accusations.
“We’ve left everything in the hands of the police.
“We are tired of his tricks and delays,” said Mushamba.
In some messages to the family WhatsApp group, Matadi said he will pay back the money.
“I admit the wrongdoing on my part, I used the wrong technology. I will get back the funds,” said Matadi.
