The family of the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has no kind words for the late Chief Beperere who succumbed to COVID-19 on Sunday.

According to Mugabe family member, Dominic Matibiri, the Mugabe ancestral spirits were angered by calls for the exhumation of his body from the family homestead in Zvimba communal lands.

Matibiri warned the other remaining chiefs – Chief Zvimba, Chief Seremani and Chief Chidziva – who presided over the matter that they will die one after the other as the avenging spirit strikes back.

Speaking to VOA Zimbabwe, Matibiri said: “As the Mugabe family, we will not mourn Chief Beperere with others because we feel that he was punished by the avenging spirit for taking part in the exhumation calls.

“Chief Beperere was Mugabe’s chief and should have presided over the matter but decided to trick us by taking the matter to Chief Zvimba… This is a great anomaly.”

The late former president’s nephew, Leo Mugabe, concurred, saying Chief Beperere played double standards as he connived with Chief Zvimba in an area he had sole jurisdiction over. He said:

Chief Beperere was our chief but he decided to play hard on us and rope in an outsider Chief Zvimba to announce the skewed judgement.

The Mugabes have since appealed against the judgement of the chiefs. Meanwhile, Chief Beperere, born Alfred Tome, was laid to rest on Wednesday at Chepstow Farm in Raffingora.