Zimbabwean authorities have barred the burial of a young Zimbabwean soldier who died in action while fighting for the British army in the war in Iraq, members of the family confirmed on Sunday.
A relative who insisted on anonymity for fear of victimisation by President Robert Mugabe’s government, confirmed a report in the independent weekly Standard newspaper on Sunday which said that the office of the registrar of births and deaths had refused to issue a burial order for Irish Guards private Christopher Muzvuru (21) because the family was unable to provide his passport.
Zimbabwean law requires proof that a deceased person was a citizen of the country before it will allow the burial of repatriated body.
Muzvuru was shot dead while he was alighting from his armoured vehicle during the British forces’ assault on the southern city of Basra on April 6.
The relative said the body was repatriated in the middle of last week by British defence ministry officials, and passed through entry formalities at Harare airport without hindrance.
When members of the family applied for a burial order, they produced a letter from the Irish Guards which stated that the unit had been unable to find Muzvuru’s passport, but affirmed that he was a Zimbabwean citizen.
However, the relative said, authorities at the births and deaths registry ”are insisting that the original passport be produced”.
Keith Martin, a senior undertaker, said that the registry’s position was ”not unusual”.
”This has been the law for many years. Only citizens can be repatriated and issued with burial orders, and to bury someone you have to have a burial order,” he said.
”The first questions you ask when you deal with a repatriation, are whether the relatives have his passport, was it valid at the time of his death and is there a stamp to record his exit from Zimbabwe.
”In this case, it probably just means that the family will have to delay the burial while his regiment looks for the passport and it will be resolved when they find it,” he said.
Pro-government media portrayed Muzvuru as a ”mercenary” and ”sell-out” who was fighting for an enemy government. – Sapa