On Thursday, the family had said that the former Zimbabwe president, who was flown back from Singapore on Wednesday, would be buried in his home town in private.

Mugabe has been lying in state since Thursday after

the governent

announced three-day of national mournng.

“I can confirm that he will be buried at the National Heroes Acre on Sunday,” family spokesman Leo Mugabe said on Friday, adding that an official ceremony would be followed by a private family event at the monument to heroes of the liberation war against white minority rule.

Some of Mugabe’s relatives have expressed bitterness at the way former close associates, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa, ousted him.

Mnangagwa, a one-time protege of Mugabe, called the former president a “national icon” after his death.

Mugabe fired Mnangagwa in 2017, in what many believed was an attempt to position his wife Grace to succeed him. Mugabe was overthrown by the military following massive protests.

On Friday, foreign dignitaries were due to start arriving in Harare ahead of a state funeral planned to be held at the country’s National Sports Stadium on Saturday.

Heads of state expected to attend the funeral include China’s President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta.