A HARARE family kept the corpse of their father indoors for FOUR days amid claims they were praying for his resurrection.

Garikai Chirongwe’s widow, Rashiwe Muchapondwa, 39, and their three children, were stuck with his corpse, for four days, praying he would rise from the dead.

By the time neighbours alerted the police, Garikai’s body was in a decomposition state.

He was 47 when he died.

A post-mortem was carried out and the body was taken to a funeral parlour.

When it was brought back to the house, in Kuwadzana, it spent less than 30 minutes, before it was taken to Granville Cemetery for burial.

Rashiwe told H-Metro their religion denied them to accept death and the deceased was also deeply rooted in that belief.

“My husband was deeply rooted in his faith, it’s what they taught at our church,” said Rashiwe.

“He complained of a headache last Wednesday and we invited one of our church members to pray for him.

“I want to believe that he died midnight, on the same day, but we continued praying, unaware that he had already died.

“There was an unpleasant smell and we opened all windows, until Monday, when police came to remove the body.

“He was in the dining room and we had to take him in to another room.

“He warned me over abandoning our faith and this tragedy came after we left our main church to meet as a small congregation after some differences.

“My husband told me to tell his relatives that his clothes have to be buried together with his body.

“If that fails then the clothes would be burnt to ashes.

“Kereke yedu hatiite nyaradzo saka zvazvatodai tatopedza.

“I do not know if his relatives will respect his will,” said Rashiwe.

Garikai’s niece, Nelly Chirongwe, told H-Metro the late was indoctrinated by his church members such that all relatives, who are not members of his church, were not allowed to enter his house.

“My uncle’s church elders polluted him so much that he no longer accepted any relative, who did not go to his church,” said Nelly.

“They buried two of their children without the presence of their relatives due to their church doctrine.

“Today, none of their church members came to support them.

“Vakadzimaidzwa zvekuti masofa ebrown akapendwa nependi chena, black stove, and everything in the house, was painted white.

“Wife and children would wear only white clothes all the time, except at school, and it was the same with him.

“He would put a different white attire when at work.

“Some church doctrines are too harmful to the community.

“May his soul rest in peace and our prayer is for the family to be redeemed from such indoctrination,” she said. H Metro