Family Feud Erupts Over Funeral Contributions for Late Businessman Mutumwa Mawere

A dispute has emerged within the family of late businessman Mutumwa Mawere after rival groups circulated conflicting funeral contribution messages, raising concerns over authority, respect and exploitation (image source)

HARARE — A bitter dispute has erupted between two groups claiming to represent the family of late businessman and industrialist Mutumwa Dziva Mawere, following the circulation of competing messages over funeral contributions and burial arrangements.

Mawere (66) died in Sandton, Johannesburg, last Thursday. While tributes continue to pour in from across Africa and beyond, the disagreement over who has authority to receive and manage funeral funds now threatens to overshadow his legacy.

At the centre of the dispute are conflicting social media messages, including a memorial poster that lists contact persons and provides banking and mobile money transfer details for funeral contributions. One faction of the family has condemned the move as unauthorised, disrespectful and exploitative, insisting that no fundraising mandate has been agreed upon.

Speaking on behalf of what he described as the immediate Mawere family, designated spokesperson Alex Mawere said relatives were shocked to see fundraising messages circulating while close family members were still mourning and arranging travel.

“While we are still grappling with the demise of our beloved family member, we have sadly noted social media messages circulating to the effect that we are seeking funeral contributions,” Alex Mawere said. He described the conduct as deeply offensive, arguing that it violated both cultural norms and basic human decency.

“Such a level of disrespect, especially during a moment like this, is not only inhuman but defies the very basic tenets of ubuntu,” he said.

Alex Mawere stressed that the family had not discussed or authorised any fundraising, adding that Mawere’s stature made such an initiative unnecessary at this stage. “We hereby categorically state that as a family, we have not deliberated on the need to fundraise considering the stature of the man we are mourning today,” he said.

While acknowledging that fundraising is common when death strikes, he warned against individuals exploiting the situation. “There is everything wrong when distant people capitalise on the death of our family member to cash in on unsuspecting members of the public.”

He said the family had taken note of messages directing mourners to send money to an electronic wallet belonging to Shau Mudekunye via the Paystack platform, as well as to an Investec Bank Limited account held by Dr R G Machiri, without the family’s knowledge or consent.

“These individuals are acting on their own accord without the knowledge of the family members,” Alex Mawere said, adding that the exclusion of recognised Mawere family members from the fundraising communications was “strange and disturbing”.

He emphasised that burial arrangements and all financial matters related to the funeral are a collective family responsibility and cannot be decided unilaterally by individuals outside the immediate family.

However, another group identifying itself as family issued a memorial poster last Thursday announcing that mourners were gathering at Number 62 Cambridge Road, Bryanston, Sandton, and expressing gratitude for public support.

The poster stated:

“As a family we are humbled by the support and grace that has been shown as we understand we share him with many people who loved and respected him.”

WhatsApp messages seen by this publication show that the same group also circulated banking and mobile money transfer details for funeral contributions, a move that has further deepened tensions between the two sides.

As uncertainty persists over who legitimately controls funeral arrangements and contributions made in Mawere’s name, the dispute now risks diverting attention from the life and legacy of Mutumwa Mawere — a towering figure in African business whose work earned admiration from business leaders, politicians and ordinary citizens alike.