STOP it! There was drama at Luveve Cemetery in Bulawayo on Saturday last week when drunken touts blocked a pastor from a local church from conducting a service during the burial of their colleague, claiming it was against their practice as “drunkards.”
The reportedly drunken touts created a midday episode that lasted for about 20 minutes when they stuck to that Pastor Ngwenya should not preach.
They wanted to bid farewell to the late William Luphahla by drinking beer and smoking dagga at the grave site.
Although spirited efforts to get a comment from the Luphahla family were fruitless, a witness who described the incident as “devastating” said mourners were left amazed when the touts took the coffin from the hearse and lowered it into the grave.
They had beer loaded in one of the kombis playing loud music.
The touts’ awkward behaviour drew condemnation but the family and other mourners watched helplessly as the touts lowered the coffin into the grave chanting “Asifuni Bumbulu”.
They shouted obscenities with reckless abandon saying there was no need for a church service to be conducted for their colleague since he was a drunkard and did not belong to any church.
“Mourners were left shocked after visibly drunken touts stopped a pastor from conducting the church service. They wanted to bid him farewell by drinking beer and smoking dagga. They were shouting on top of their voices saying William was a drunkard who had told them that when he died no church service should be conducted at his funeral or burial as he did not subscribe to any Christian doctrines.
“While shouting and singing they took the coffin and lowered it into the grave and quickly buried it with soil,” said a witness who declined to be named for fear of victimisation.
Luphahla passed on at Mpilo Hospital after a short illness.
