Tinotenda Hove – Matthew Takaona has assisted a grieving family in Gutu by covering funeral costs for a young man whose relatives had no means to organise the burial.

Takaona shared the development on his official Facebook page on Monday, explaining that he had purchased a coffin and provided food to support the funeral of Obert Ziuchu from Haurovi Village under Headman Magombedze.

The Masvingo Mirror consultant is known locally for his humanitarian outreach initiatives, through which he regularly assists vulnerable residents in the area, particularly the elderly, by buying medication for conditions such as blood pressure and diabetes as well as providing wheelchairs.

Ziuchu, who like many youths in Zimbabwe was unemployed, was reportedly found hanging from a tree. His parents are both late and he leaves behind a 10-year-old daughter who is now without a guardian.

Family members and residents in the community expressed gratitude to Takaona for stepping in and ensuring the deceased received a dignified burial.

His brother Emmanuel said the family had been struggling to organise the funeral before the assistance came.

“We are grateful to Takaona for the assistance. Obert was unemployed, he had no funeral policy and his parents are late. We were almost burying him without a coffin when we called Takaona and he also assisted with food,” said Emmanuel.

After the burial, Takaona spoke to the family and community members, stressing the importance of compassion and empathy within society.

“Love is the greatest thing there ever is. We must have love, enough to feel for each, to empathise, to create jobs for our suffering youth and to be selfless so that we look beyond ourselves and our immediate families,” said Takaona.

Takaona also revealed that Ziuchu had previously been among youths arrested together with him by police in Gutu after they cleared tall grass along a highway near Mushayavanhu Business Centre.

According to him, the group had been removing the grass because it posed a danger to school children due to speeding vehicles along the road.