Liberty Dube and Blessing Rwizi
GONE too soon was what his friends could only say. Just like the funerals of his former ‘comrades in arms’, Courage Kasipo and Botwell ‘Sir Bartez’ Hlahla, prominent diamond dealer, Never Chikwena, who breathed his last on Tuesday night’s funeral resembled that of a five-star general.Chikwena (33) earned his decoration in the ‘underworld’ of dealing and his colleagues saw it fit to give him a befitting funeral that left visitors in Mutare including journalists who were on a tour of Chiadzwa and Arda Transau asking many questions on the status of the ‘hero’ being send-off.
Besides being a general in diamond dealing, Chikwena was also a ‘superdad’ as seven of his ‘known’ children from five different women were paraded at the funeral.
There is also talk that he was paying maintenance for some of the children.
The ever-controversial Chikwena hogged the limelight late last year when he tied the knot with Priscilla Mutembedzi at a local hotel in the dead of the night for fear of disruptions from some of his several concubines.
During his funeral wake at his leafy Greenside low-density home, women cried, their confused children could simply watch and wonder what was this all about and, some of the little ones, touched by their mothers’ tears, also began to cry.
For once, hoodlums and company executives were one in mourning their hero.
All races, blacks, whites, Indians and coloureds were represented at the funeral. To some it was party time as they tried to outdo each other on the dance floor and even on the streets as his funeral cortege made up of some of the sleekest cars in the city snaked around Mutare on Chikwena’s last lap of honour before being taken to his rural home in Nyazura for a well deserved rest.
Just like his life which was full of controversies and drama, Chikwana’s journey to eternity had its own full share of drama.
Various theories surrounding his ill-health were proffered, with those who believe in juju saying it was the work of black magic, resulting in one of his brothers allegedly stealing him from his hospital bed to seek divine intervention.
To him, his brother was a victim of witchcraft.
Other family members could not have any of it and wanted him to get medical attention in hospital.
At one time a legal battle ensued between the feuding family members, with some of them going to the extent of seeking a court interdict to have Chikwena readmitted in hospital, but their efforts were in vain as fate ruled otherwise.
According to medical records, Chikwena succumbed to meningitis.
While there was drama on the streets of Mutare, the macabre one happened last Wednesday as the family was taking Chikwena’s body to Nyazura from Harare where he had died.
Because of the divisions in the feuding family, The Weekender is reliably informed that one of the brothers wanted to secretly take the body to Nyazura without passing through Mutare.
Word filtered to Mutare and a convoy of cars from his colleagues rushed to Halfway House along Mutare-Harare Road where they laid an ambush.
A free for all situation obtained when the hearse arrived.
The driver of the hearse had to take to his heels as the parties engaged in fierce fist fight.
One of the people took over the responsibility of driving the hearse to Mutare where it was taken to Nyaradzo Funeral Parlour.
Mutare’s socialite and one of the directors of ceremonies at the funeral, David ‘MJ’ Maramba, said Chikwena’s funeral was just full of drama.
“Never (Chikwena) made his name here in Mutare and we saw it proper that his colleagues should have been given a chance to bid him farewell than to smuggle his body to his rural home.
“You haven’t seen anything like that. It was drama everywhere and ladies literally outnumbered male mourners.
“Is is sad that we lost a colleague in such callous circumstances as he could have lived longer if there was consensus among family members regarding his illness.
“To our colleague, we say Rest In Peace,” said Maramba.
Several theories surrounding his illness and subsequent death emerged during the burial.
“One of his wives possibly knew about what caused the illness.
“His sudden ill health and death happened in a short time which is very unusual considering that the disease he had could be managed,” said one mourner.
Another well-placed source said: “A lot of rites were done during the burial and this baffled most of us.
“The burial proceedings took more time than expected because of reasons better known to close family members.
“Never died a sad man after some of his trusted relatives and friends dumped him the time he needed them most.”
Chikwena and his colleague, Abbas Macky were in January arraigned before the courts facing charges of illegally possessing 38 carat of diamonds with a black market value of more than $140 000.
The pair was on their way to Harare to sell the diamonds.
Having been controversial while being alive and in his death, Chikwena was buried last Friday.
