It never rains but it pours on the late national hero, the family of Brigadier General Pateus Charles Rocha.
Following the loss of late Brigadier General Rocha’s wife Grace Gumbo Rocha, Nairobiri-born chief Burton Nairobiri is demanding US$100 from the grieving family because he was not given a chance to speak during the burial.
Nairobiri and his village chief David Mahoff also demanded and were allegedly given the hind leg of the slaughtered beast, leaving mourners inadequately entertained.
An angry villager said that if something like this happened to a national hero like Brigadier General Rocha’s wife, it means worse things are happening to ordinary villagers. Rocha was perhaps the biggest hero of the DRC’s 1998 war.
“Corruption and oppression by traditional leaders stink. “The problem is that there is no system to which they are held accountable,” Karoui said.
Rocha received a state-assisted burial as is the case with all wives of national heroes, meaning they are not supposed to bear any burial costs.
She was buried at Rocha’s cottage in Mahovi village, Nairobiri, Gutu two and a half weeks ago. Nairobire allegedly requested US$100 through Passmore, Brigadier Rocha’s son.
But Rocha’s brother, Obas, denied allegations that they rejected Nairobiri’s opportunity to speak. They said that many people dispersed before the funeral ended and so the chiefs had no one left to address.
Nairobire confirmed the case to The Mirror but demanded to know the newspaper’s source. He said people were pre-empting the case because no subpoenas had been issued.
Masvingo’s lawyer, Colin Mabuki, said the leader’s claims were unlawful.
He said it is not necessary for the leader to speak at the funeral, and since the gathering is not a public event, the proceedings are decided by the family.
“What happened is that people left before the burial was over. We couldn’t stop them from leaving the place and that’s what we blame. “The burial was state-assisted,” Passmore said.
“This is something that just happened, the case was not brought to court. Who reported this issue to The Mirror? And no one was summoned to court.
“These people undermined the authority of the chief. It is well known that the chief, the village chief and the council member are supposed to speak at funerals, make announcements and pay the gathering their last respects. To our surprise none of us spoke on this occasion. They voluntarily gave us some leftover meat,” said Mahofi. “We never asked them to pay us such an amount.” Masvingo Mirror
