THERE is a strange phenomenon that has gripped the country and is disturbingly becoming a trend.
It is the violation of the dead and their families.
The chief culprits have been those involved in the vices that include prostitution, hardcore criminals and some members of the Movement for Democratic Change.
This phenomenon that has many worried and pained is the highjacking of funerals, which involves literally the grabbing of the coffin and parading it, always in a rowdy manner.
In our culture we do not run around with coffins on our shoulders.
Only members of the security forces and our national heroes are carried on the shoulders when being buried and there is no toy-toying with the coffin.
They are taken to their final resting place by a slow march.
Almost always I have noted this un-African behaviour, of hoisting coffins onto shoulders and toy-toying.
This is never done by the relatives of the deceased, but by so-called close intoxicated compatriots.
I have been to more than one funeral where I have experienced the above and the resulting distress among family members.
I have seen coffins, against the family wishes, being snatched from the slow moving hearse by people who are drunk, getting drunk or recovering from drunkenness.
While we appreciate that drinks flow freely at gatherings, and funerals are no exception, however drunken people must not take charge of funerals.
This behaviour I have a problem with cannot be compared to chisahwira.
We have had vana sahwira at funerals since time immemorial and what is happening today cannot be condoned by saying chisahwira.
And antics at a funeral in our culture are never conducted by 20 or 30 sahwiras, only a few individuals.
The rowdy and insensitive behaviour being exhibited today cannot be justified, for lack of a better word, it is an affront to our culture, the deceased must be buried with dignity and honour.
Bringing chaos to the peacefulness of a funeral cannot be justified.
We treat all the dead with dignity, no matter who they are.
Muchivanhu chedu wafa wanaka.
No matter what or who a person has been, funerals are conducted in a respectful manner.
Ignoring or rather disregarding the bereaved and the presence of religious ministers, whatever our religion is, is the height of disrespect.
Open promotion of vice at funerals cannot and must not be condoned.
Friends wishing to ‘celebrate’ their departed in a manner that ordinary people may find offensive, can do so well after the funeral, no one will have problems with that.
There is no reason to torture the bereaved with lurid acts at the wake.
It has become common to have videos, circulating on social media, of scantily dressed women highly intoxicated dancing on graves and robbers’ coffins hoisted shoulder high being paraded in streets.
We have had incidents of coffins falling off from speeding car tops and remains of the deceased tossed out.
What messages are we sending?
What are we teaching our youths for they are also present at funerals.
What are we celebrating?
We have had funerals where people do not mourn but celebrate positive achievements and a life well lived.
These funerals have never made anyone feel uneasy and they have never offended anyone.
It is time we take stock and stop importing acts that are foreign to our culture.
We are Zimbabweans, tine hunhu hwedu, tine maitiro edu, ngatisatsike tsike tsika dzedu.