8 Months Later, Fortune Muparutsa Still Not Buried

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Wednesday, 10 June 2009 17:21

Fortune Muparutsa’s body lies unclaimed at a funeral parlour in London – EIGHT months after he died, New Zimbabwe.com has revealed.
The pioneering Zimbabwean R&B star died on October 25 last year after a lengthy battle with an undisclosed ailment. Music fans will be outraged today to learn that Muparutsa has not been given a decent burial – all because his family cannot pay £2,450 to send his body home.

Muparutsa’s body is still in the morgue of London funeral directors, C.J. Riley, who say they are “quite anxious” to see him given a decent burial.

Jill Riley, a director at Greenwich-based C.J. Riley Funeral Directors said: “We speak to his family on a regular basis. We have been told various stories at different times … ‘we will authorise the repatriation at the end of March; at the end of May’ and the deadlines keep shifting. Our main concern here is Fortune.”

Riley said they had been told Muparutsa’s family members were in South Africa, and there were complications with them getting to Zimbabwe to receive the body.

But many Zimbabweans will know that story is not credible.

“To be honest we are not really too keen to burrow into the family’s private life. Our main concern is Fortune,” added Riley.

She said while they normally do not charge for storage, “in this case we are considering it”.

Riley said: “We are getting quite anxious now. From time-to-time, because of the nature of our activities, we get periodic visits from environmental health inspectors and they are keeping tabs on what’s happening.

“Fortune was embalmed, but that was in October, and as you would appreciate after this length of time the body deteriorates. When the body finally goes home, we will put a note to advise against body viewing because some may find it distressing.”

The £2,450 fee will cover the repatriation of Muparutsa’s body up to the Harare International Airport where a local funeral service company will take over, Riley said.

Muparutsa’s family in the UK is notoriously hostile to the media. When the singer died, a pastor looking after the family demanded that New Zimbabwe.com pulls down a story on his death.

Stanlic Mutemererwa, a gospel singer who broke the news of the Kanda Matombo star’s death to this website, was also verbally abused by the same pastor and told not to contact the family again.

Muparutsa died just as he was plotting a stunning music comeback. His unreleased music was described as “hot” by American R&B singer Akon.

Akon was a guest on the Northants 96FM radio station in Northampton when Muparutsa’s song, Dreamgal, was played to him.

Akon said he would be interested in signing Muparutsa, raving: “Uhhh! That’s hot. Can you send that to me right now? Like right now? I’m serious. That’s a smash. I am gonna sign that kid.”

- See Facebook Page: In Memory of Fortune Muparutsa

- By Mduduzi Mathuthu, NewZimbabwe.com

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Edgar - NHAI VEDUWE

|2009-06-18 08:31:12

Fortune: sha just few years ago we worked with Wilhom tight on his first album,
"Zimjam"...

I miss your humour and your smooth tunes.

To Mr. Riley's
funeral parlour, let my brother go, we don't need to pay 2500 punds! C'mon! Tsk!

Edgar

|2009-06-18 08:38:01

This soooo wrong

Ms B - mis Fortune

|2009-06-22 21:15:39

Itai cent cent vanhuwe. Surely this is not right that someone can lie unburied
for almost a year. Ngavatipe bank a/c number tiite madonations. Its such a
shame for someone who provided such entertainment for us to end up like this.

Tiyane

|2009-06-24 06:16:03

You are right Ms B. Even if he wasn't a celebrity, this is not acceptable.
Everyone deserves a decent, respectable send off. Not this nonsense we are
seeing. Ko hama dzake dzirikupi?