The burial of UK-based music promoter Kudzaishe Chipadza, popularly known as DJ Kay Cie, was marked by dramatic scenes on Sunday after his wife, Beverly Hanyani, was denied entry into the hearse carrying his body.
Tradition usually allows the surviving spouse and children to travel in the hearse during the final journey, but Beverly and her children were barred, sparking outrage at the funeral.
A video circulating on social media shows Beverly in tears, seated on the ground outside the homestead before the procession to Mabhula Cemetery. Onlookers could be heard demanding that she be given her rightful place, with one woman insisting, “She is his wife, she must be in that car.”
Despite emotional appeals, the hearse doors remained locked, and Beverly was forced to travel in a separate vehicle.
Kay Cie’s death in June in a Birmingham hotel initially sparked speculation of foul play, but authorities later ruled it a cardiac arrest. Disagreements within the family over his repatriation delayed the burial for nearly three months.
Family spokesperson Maynard Manyowa later explained that Zvishavane was chosen as the burial site because it was Kay Cie’s hometown and his father was a respected figure there.
The promoter’s passing has left a deep void in both the diaspora and local entertainment scenes, but the burial controversy has overshadowed what was meant to be his final farewell.
