Tinashe Sambiri|Chief Mazuru left a funeral programme in Gutu East with egg on the face after unsuccessfully attempting to ban CCC songs and slogans.

The traditional leader was forced to leave the burial of CCC cadre Beria Musimudziwa after attempting to block mourners from singing party songs.

CCC supporters ignored Chief Mazuru’s announcement.

See full story below:

Masvingo Mirror

GUTU – Chief Mazuru allegedly left a funeral function at Musimudzirwa Village in Ward 13, Gutu East in a huff as Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) members defied his order to stop sloganeering and singing party songs.

The party was burying its senior member and prominent businessman Beriya Musimudzirwa who died after a long illness.

The situation got to the edge when Chief Mazuru allegedly tried to stop a CCC representative from giving a speech just before burial and he was overwhelmed by the singing and the large number of CCC members.

Having lost the tug-of-war, he allegedly gathered his aides and left in a huff and sources said he was hoping that mourners would dare not bury the deceased in his absence.

Asked for comment, Chief Mazuru told The Mirror that he did not give the order directly to CCC members but talked to the deceased’s family to stop slogans at a funeral because that was not the tradition of the area.

He said CCC members also angered him because they called Musimudzirwa a hero and yet according to him the hero status is only for those who are buried at the Heroes’ Acre.

He warned that those who called Musimudzirwa a hero would get into serious trouble if he reported them to Government adding that it was illegal to call anyone a hero.

“They don’t know that they were committing a serious crime. If I report them they will be in serious trouble. In our tradition we don’t bury our loved ones while wearing party regalia or calling them heroes,” said Mazuru.

Musimudzirwa was the chairperson of the then MDC Alliance and he worked with former MDC MP for Gutu East, Ramson Makamure in 2008.

Present at the funeral was aspiring Gutu East CCC candidate and veteran banker, Gift Gonese.

Gonese calmed mourners after the chief’s departure and told them that burial would continue because the chief like any other citizen has the right to associate or not to associate with a CCC burial. Mourners agreed and the burial went ahead without the chief.

CCC national deputy spokesperson Gift ‘Ostallos’ Siziba said the chief is out of line and his utterances show that he is a partisan chief.

“There is nothing wrong with people wearing party regalia at their member’s funeral. Chiefs should not meddle in political issues,” he said. https://www.masvingomirror.com/