Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A 26-YEAR-OLD Hauna man’s funeral took a bizarre turn after mourners reportedly witnessed what appeared to be tears streaming from his eyes as his body lay in a coffin, before his freshly covered grave was allegedly found disturbed the following morning.
Walter Kupemba (Jnr) was buried last Friday after succumbing to illness at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital on Wednesday.
His mother, Gladys Tangwena, said the family is still struggling to come to terms with both his sudden death and the strange events that unfolded during his funeral.
Tangwena said she first heard reports from funeral parlour staff that tears appeared to be flowing from her son’s eyes while his body lay in the coffin.
She said she later witnessed the phenomenon herself after the coffin was opened.
“They wiped the tears away, but when my sisters and I later performed some traditional rituals observed by a deceased person’s mother, the tears started flowing again.
“It was not just a few drops. It appeared as if he was weeping, especially from the right eye. It was as though he was alive and crying. I was devastated and could not bring myself to view the body again,” she said.
Tangwena said several mourners who viewed the body also claimed to have seen the tears.
“We eventually buried him while the tears were still appearing. It was something none of us could understand,” she said.
However, the family’s distress deepened the following morning when they returned to the grave for rumuko, a traditional ritual conducted after burial.
Tangwena said they found unusual marks on the freshly covered grave.
“There were marks on the upper end of the grave that looked as if someone had sat there. We also noticed footprints leading away from the grave.
“Some appeared human, while others resembled those of a four-legged animal,” she said.
She added that a stone which had been placed at the head of the grave had apparently been moved.
Describing her son as hardworking and ambitious, Tangwena said his death had come as a shock to the family.
Walter Jnr had been working in Sagambe and was in the process of building a seven-roomed house when he died.
“We never expected to lose him like this,” she said.
Tangwena said her son returned home from Sagambe complaining of a toothache before his condition rapidly deteriorated.
“He developed a swollen neck and eventually lost the ability to speak. When he was admitted at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital, he could only communicate through sign language.
“It was heartbreaking to watch his health deteriorate so quickly,” she said.
Now left with two daughters, Tangwena said she fears for her family’s safety, amid the unexplained circumstances surrounding her son’s death.
She revealed that the family had initially considered consulting traditional healers on the day of the burial in an effort to seek answers.
Tangwena further alleged that her son had previously had a dispute with one of his uncles, whom she claimed had threatened him.
“I do not know what happened to my son or why these strange things are happening after his death. Sometimes I even think of leaving our home with my daughters because I am afraid,” she said.
The deceased’s uncle, Walter Kupemba (Snr), confirmed that relatives and community members had witnessed what appeared to be tears flowing from the body during the funeral.
“It was the first time I had ever seen such a thing. We were all shocked.
“As a family, we want to understand what happened and what caused his death,” he said.
Kupemba said the family had begun consulting traditional healers in an effort to find answers, and a healer was expected to visit the homestead.
“We have already visited a traditional healer, who is expected to come to our homestead to help us establish what might have happened. Walter was my namesake, and I am deeply hurt by his death. I will leave no stone unturned,” he said.
He also confirmed seeing the unusual marks on the grave during rumuko.
“It was shocking to find marks that looked as if someone had sat on a fresh grave. We also saw footprints leading away from it. We want to establish exactly what happened there,” he said.
Kupemba said the family also planned to visit Sagambe to establish whether Walter Jnr had experienced any conflicts or problems before he fell ill.
TEARS IN THE COFFIN . . . dead man weeps at own funeral
