NewZimbabwe.com
DOVES Funeral Services (DFS) have dismissed as false, allegations by the Chimwamurombe family that it secretly buried their relative, as the bizarre burial saga takes a new twist.
Lawyers representing the company have written to the legal firm acting on behalf of the Chimwamurombe family, whose relative was given a pauper burial without their knowledge.
The family had six months earlier buried an empty coffin.
The matter became public Wednesday evening after the release of a letter by the family lawyer, Fungai Chimwamurombe to Doves expressing the family’s disappointment over how the service provider was trying to downplay the matter.
The family of the deceased also accused Doves of concealing the anomaly for six months and secretly burying their relative Maxwell Chimwamurombe.
This, according to their lawyer’s letter, was despite Doves discovering the error three days after the burial of the empty coffin.
However, in a fresh turn of events, Mutamangira and Associates, the lawyers representing Doves, in a letter addressed to Chimwamurombe Legal Practice accused Fungai Chimwamurombe of greediness and making a U-turn on what the late Maxwell’s family and the parlour had agreed on.
Doves lawyers accused Fungai of scandalising their client for declining to meet his personal illicit demands for a brand new top-of-the-range vehicle and US$123 000 in cash.
Reads part of the letter by Doves lawyers, “We, however, note that in the past 48 hours your partner Mr. Fungai Chimwamurombe invoked a parallel process in which he made incessant personal demands divorced from the ongoing engagement.
“In particular, it is on record that your partner demanded to be immediately bought a brand new SUV motor vehicle and be personally paid US$123 000 within a period of 12 hours.
“It is on record that your partner threatened to publicly scandalise our client unless his personal demands were met.”
Doves lawyers said all efforts by the immediate family members of the deceased and their client to deal with the matter in terms of the law were strongly rebuffed by Fungai.
They also accused the Chimwamurombe family of lying.
“Regrettably, after realising that our client was committed to a process already agreed, your partner proceeded to widely circulate a letter supposedly addressed to our client.
“It is important to mention that the contents of your letter are neither factually correct nor do they disclose the failed forcible attempts made by your partner to be personally paid,” reads the letter.
Doves said it remains committed to the agreed process and considers the illicit efforts by Fungai to be unwarranted in the circumstances.
Earlier, Doves had issued a statement announcing investigations were underway.
