Robert Mugabe’s family say they are shocked at not having been consulted by the government about arrangements for the funeral of the former Zimbabwean president.
Mr Mugabe, who was 95, died last week while undergoing medical treatment in a Singapore hospital.
His body is being prepared to lie in state at a football stadium in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.
His family and the government disagree over Mr Mugabe’s final resting place.
Mr Mugabe’s family says his body will be displayed in his home village of Kutama on Sunday night, and will be buried at a private ceremony on Monday or Tuesday. The government had wanted him to be interred at the National Heroes monument in Harare.
“We note with extreme concern the manner with which the government of Zimbabwe has developed the programme for the funeral of the late Robert Gabriel Mugabe without consulting his immediate family who were tasked with communicating his last wishes in regard to his funeral and burial,” the family said in a statement.
“As his immediate family, we have also observed with shock that the government of Zimbabwe is attempting to coerce us to accept a programme for the funeral and burial of the late Robert Gabriel Mugabe which is contrary to his wishes on how he wished to have his mortal remains interred.”
Mr Mugabe was Zimbabwe’s first leader after the country became independent in 1980. He held on to power for almost four decades before being ousted in a coup in 2017.
Source: BBC