TSHIVHULANA- "Our main objective of exhuming these three people is that we want to bury all our people at these sacred cemetery (Tshiendeulu) as part of strengthening our family," said Mr Mashango Sydwell Muthambi, the chairperson of Faranani Vhakwevho Association (FVA), which comprises Matidza, Nndwambi, Mukwevho, Kone and Muthambi families.

Mr Muthambi told Mirror that they have already exhumed three bodies of their beloved relatives and as a result, they are going to re-bury them tomorrow at a reburial function, scheduled for 09:00 at Tshivhulana in Vuwani.

The family will be reburying Mrs Josephine Tshiwela Muthambi who died in 1943 at Xigalo Village just outside Malamulele Township. "She was buried in the cemetery, but was supposed to have been buried at our sacred cemetery. The reason was that during her death, the sacred cemetery for our family had not been established yet. We are going to exhume everybody who is now buried in different cemeteries all over Venda," he said.

Mrs Josephine Muthambi was married to the late Mr Josiah Muthambi, one of the establishers of business in the former Venda homeland. She is the mother of Mr Henry Muthambi, top local businessman, who resides at Tlangelani, a few kilometres from Malamulele Township.

Another person to be reburied is Mr Mavhungu Wilberforce Muthambi, the brother of Henry, who died while he was only seven-years old. He died from malaria in 1932.

The third person to be reburied will be Khuliso Wilberforce Nndwambi Matidza who died in 1998 through a horror car accident while he was driving from his workplace at Johannesburg Consolidated Investment (JCI). The accident occurred at Westonaria.

He was only 27 and was single during his death. Khuliso was the second-born of the registrar of the university of Venda for Science and Technology, Mr Josias Nndwambi Matidza. He was exhumed from Shayandima Cemetery, where he was buried in 1998.

Mr Muthambi also revealed that the family spent almost R40 000 in organising the reburial services. All the exhumation work is done by Tshitshithe Funeral Undertakers in Tshifulanani.