Tsvangirai boycotts Mahlangu burial

Politics
OPPOSITION MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other top party leaders boycotted the burial of Nkulumane legislator, Thamsanqa Mahlangu, to avoid being involved in the families’ tussle over the late MP’s body.

OPPOSITION MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other top party leaders boycotted the burial of Nkulumane legislator, Thamsanqa Mahlangu, to avoid being involved in the families’ tussle over the late MP’s body.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

Family members from Mahlangu’s paternal and stepfather’s side tussled over the venue for the funeral wake. Mahlangu, who died last week after a long battle with cancer, was buried on Saturday at Lady Stanley Square amid chaos.

A hearse carrying Mahlangu’s body had to flee the chaotic scenes, delaying the burial, which was meant to start at 9am by four hours.

MDC T spokesperson Obert Gutu said that was the reason Tsvangirai and other party leaders stayed away.

Morgan-Tsvangirai

“Apparently, there were some serious misunderstandings and differences among members of the late Mahlangu’s family. As such, the leadership of the party decided to take a position that would allow the deceased’s family members to peacefully iron out their differences to enable our late hero, Honourable Mahlangu, to be given the rousing send-off and burial that he no doubt deserved,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the family differences couldn’t be resolved in time to allow president Tsvangirai and members of his national standing committee to attend both the church service as well as the burial at Lady Stanley cemetery in Bulawayo on Saturday.

“As a political party, we took a firm position not to take sides with any of the three separate family units that were squabbling over how the funeral of our late hero was supposed to be handled.

“The situation on the ground made it virtually impossible for Tsvangirai and members of the national standing committee to attend the burial.

“However, the party hopes and fervently prays that peace and harmony will be promptly restored among members of the late Mahlangu’s family. Our late hero was a peace-loving and hardworking party cadre who certainly wouldn’t have tolerated family members squabbling over how his funeral should have been handled and conducted.

“As a political party that our late hero so wholeheartedly supported and worked for, the MDC will continue to do whatever is within its powers to help members of our late hero’s family restore peace, love and harmony among themselves.”

Tsvangirai reportedly travelled to Bulawayo for the funeral, but was forced to stay away by the squabbles.