Harare — THE spirit of unity between the ruling party Zanu-PF and the opposition MDC continued yesterday as members of both parties attended the burial of Chengetai Chinamasa, the son of the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Cde Patrick Chinamasa.

A team of South African officials -- who are facilitating the talks between the ruling party and the opposition -- was also present at the funeral.

Chengetai, who died in his sleep in the United States of America last week, was buried at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare.

Some of the opposition officials who joined the Chinamasa family in their time of grief were Mr Blessing Chebundo, the Member of Parliament for Kwekwe -- who is aligned to the Morgan Tsvangirai faction -- and the Mutambara faction spokesman, Mr Gabriel Chaibva.

In an interview after the burial, Mr Chaibva said several members of their national executive were also present.

The head of the South African facilitating team, South African Minister of Local Government Mr Sydney Mufamadi, and a senior advisor to President Thabo Mbeki, Reverend Frank Chikane, also in the mediating team, attended the burial.

Mr Mufamadi is spearheading the Sadc-initiated talks brokered by Mr Mbeki to find a lasting solution to challenges facing Zimbabwe.

Cde Chinamasa and the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Cde Nicholas Goche, represent Zanu-PF in the talks while the secretaries-general of both MDC factions, Mr Tendai Biti (for the Tsvangirai faction) and Professor Welshman Ncube (on behalf of the Mutambara camp), complete the negotiating team.

The Sadc-initiated talks resulted in the two parties co-sponsoring the landmark Constitutional Amendment Number 18 Act in Parliament in September, which harmonises presidential, parliamentary and council elections, among other major changes to the Constitution.

Cabinet ministers, MPs from Zanu-PF and both factions of the MDC, service chiefs, and High Court and Supreme Court judges were among mourners who paid their last respects to Chengetai.

In his graveside speech, Cde Chinamasa described his son as more of a keen sportsperson than an academic.

"As a traditional father, I wanted my son to excel in academics, but he was a sportsperson right from the day of his birth," he said.

Cde Chinamasa said he had just heard that his son operated a website on which he used to counter Western propaganda against Zimbabwe.

He said Chengetai had a dream to start sports radio and television channels in Zimbabwe.

Cde Chinamasa, who emotionally recounted how he bade farewell to his son when he left for the US and how he received his body as cargo, said he was struggling to come to terms with the loss.

Chengetai died a week after attaining his 23rd birthday.

Speaker after speaker, including Cde Chinamasa's wife Mrs Monica Chinamasa and National Security, Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement Minister Cde Didymus Mutasa, lamented the death of promising young man who had the potential to go places in life.

Defence Minister Cde Sydney Sekeramayi, Agriculture Engineering, Mechanisation and Irrigation Minister Cde Joseph Made, Industry and International Trade Minister Cde Obert Mpofu, Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development Cde Ignatius Chombo, Zanu-PF Politburo member Retired General Solomon Mujuru, Senate President Cde Edna Madzongwe, Manicaland Governor Cde Tinaye Chigudu, Harare Metropolitan Province Resident Minister Cde David Karimanzira and senior Government officials were among the mourners.