Echoes of hymn songs could be heard by people from villages miles away from the Makore homestead in Nyamutumbu, Mrewa 60 kilometres north-east of the capital Harare.
As the hearse bearing the remains of Tapiwa Makore navigated its way into the homestead on that final Saturday, only one voice could be heard from the singing crowd, crying piteously.
Grieving for a few days can easily be forgotten, but grieving for as long as half a year stays in people’s minds forever.
Tapiwa Makore, the seven year old Murewa boy who was murdered gruesomely, in a suspected ritual act was finally laid to rest six months later.
However, for Linda Munyori, Tapiwa’s mother, watching hundreds of people at her homestead, church members singing songs, “Famba Famba Gamba redu. (Go well our hero)”, the scenes were like a horror movie in 3D.
Emotions failed to express how she was feeling, the pain of losing her son to known family murders was a fatal blow to her.
Walking out of a Doves Funeral Services car, watching a tiny coffin where the remains of her seven year old son was packaged, she cried out until her voice could hardly be heard by people standing a few steps away.
Linda Munyori, is a quiet and shy woman if one is to be asked on a different occasion, but now she is broken down, all she could shout out was, Vanhu venyika ino manditsvinyira (people of this land you have forsaken me).
Her husband, Munyaradzi Makore, was by her side walking slowly while holding her hand, but his face had so many unanswered questions.
The decision to bury their child without the head could not stick in Makore and Munyori’s head, it was not easy- it is very rare if you ask anyone.
“Shuwa here mwana wangu kuenda akadai, shuwa mati ndivige mwana wangu akaita zvaakaita izvi here? Ndaramba ini ndati kwete mhani! (For real I am burying my child like this? Is this how I am going to bury my child like? No! I have said No to this!” shouted Munyori as she was lamenting.
For Munyaradzi Makore, he wants to bury the hatch and let bygones be bygones, he wants to forgive, but for Munyori, it is a different story.
Addressing mourners who had gathered for the funeral in Murewa at the Makore Homestead on Saturday, Munyaradzi Makore said, “All the days I have lived mourning my son have taught me to forgive, I have accepted God in my life and I will forgive no matter what had happened. “
He thanked pastors from different churches whom he said have been counselling him each time they visited since the death of his son.
However, from the mother’s side forgiveness is not the word. She wants revenge.
A family representative who spoke on behalf of Tapiwa’s mother said “I want everyone to help me pray so that those who did this to my son get the punishment they deserve, they must be punished. I am deeply hurt and I cannot let them walk free while I am mourning my son, let them be punished.”
Tapiwa was laid to rest without some of his body parts. The head which was found by the police did not match Tapiwa’s DNA.
The family also rejected a state assisted funeral saying the state ‘was never there for assistance during the six months of mourning.’
However, the burial was attended by thousands of people who travelled from miles away to witness the ‘taboo’ in Chief Mangwende’s village.
Top government officials who attended Tapiwa Makore’s burial include Senator Apollonia Munzverengwi and Minister of state responsible for Mashonaland East provincial affairs Daniel Garwe among others.
