The family of Zimbabwe's former president, Robert Mugabe, says he be buried at a private ceremony at a date still to be decided, in an embarrassment for his successor who wants him interred at a national shrine.

Key points: Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa deposed Robert Mugabe in 2017

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa deposed Robert Mugabe in 2017 He wished for the late leader to be interred at a national monument in Harare

He wished for the late leader to be interred at a national monument in Harare Mugabe's family criticised the Government for failing to consult them over burial plans

Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years until he was ousted by his army in November 2017, died in a Singapore hospital six days ago aged 95.

His body arrived in Zimbabwe from Singapore on Wednesday and started three days of lying in state on Thursday.

Mugabe is proving as polarising in death as he was in life, as the fight over where he will be buried threatens to undermine President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe's former deputy who conspired to overthrow him.

Mugabe's body arrived in Zimbabwe from Singapore on Wednesday. ( AP: Themba Hadebe )

Mr Mnangagwa and his ruling ZANU-PF party want Mugabe buried at a national monument to heroes of the liberation war against white minority rule, in an attempt to unite the country behind their political and economic agenda.

The Government had planned for a state funeral on Saturday and burial on Sunday.

But some of Mugabe's relatives have pushed back against that plan.

The statue of the unknown soldier at the National Heroes Acre in Harare, Zimbabwe. ( Wikimedia Commons )

They share Mugabe's bitterness at the way former allies including Mr Mnangagwa toppled him and want him buried in his home village some 85 kilometres from Harare.

Leo Mugabe, the late president's nephew, said the burial ceremony would be private, without saying where it would be.

"If I tell you [where it will be] then it won't be private," he said.

"The family is the one that makes a decision."

Mugabe's family issued a statement saying it was concerned about the manner in which the Government was preparing the program for Mugabe's funeral "without consulting his immediate family".

They "also observed with shock that the Government of Zimbabwe is attempting to coerce us to accept a program for funeral and burial" that was contrary to Mugabe's wishes, the statement said.

Mugabe's deposer vows to preserve predecessor's memory

Mugabe's body lied in state at his Harare residence, before touring other sites across Zimbabwe. ( AP: Ben Curtis )

Mr Mnangagwa, flanked by security and half a dozen soldiers carrying rifles, visited Mugabe's palatial home, known as Blue Roof, in the capital on Thursday to pay his respects.

A choir wearing yellow T-shirts bearing Mr Mnangagwa's face sang songs as he arrived.

Around a hundred well-wishers sat under a marquee on a lawn beneath the main house, waiting for their turn to see the coffin.

"As long as ZANU-PF is in power and as long as I am leading, no one will deviate, you remain our icon, our commander and founding father," Mr Mnangagwa said of Mugabe.

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa (centre) was Mugabe's deputy before he overthrew him in 2017. ( AP: Ben Curtis )

Mugabe's body was later flown to the Rufaro soccer stadium in Harare's Mbare township, where thousands of mourners filed past the open coffin.

There was a brief stampede, as people rushed forward to get their chance to catch a glimpse of their former leader.

The body was expected to be on display at the stadium — the venue where he took his first oath at independence in 1980 — for another day on Friday before a state funeral at the national sports stadium on Saturday.

A stampede was triggered after people were given the chance to view Mugabe at a Harare sports stadium. ( Reuters: Siphiwe Sibeko )

Trust Nyakabawo, a Mbare resident, said he wanted Mugabe to be buried at National Heroes Acre along with other liberation fighters.

"We are in pain after his death because we were so used to seeing him alive as a father figure that led the country well. We need him to go to Heroes Acre," another mourner, Prisca Mutandi, said.

Many Zimbabweans remember Mugabe as their country's liberator from white minority rule and praise him for broadening people's access to education and social services.

But his legacy remains contested, as some believe the liberation leader turned into a tyrant, as he presided over an economy wrecked by hyperinflation and a civil service with deeply entrenched corruption — all the while living an opulent lifestyle.

He also was known for violently quashing his political competitors, and led a brutal land redistribution scheme that forcibly took land from white farmers — those who stayed were tortured and murdered.

This resulted in the swift demise of Zimbabwe's agricultural sector, which had earlier led others to dub the country Africa's "bread basket".

Today, Zimbabwe again faces threats of hyperinflation as the prices for basic goods continue to rise, and currently all foreign currencies are banned as the Government seeks revenue through use of the Zimbabwean dollar.

Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace were criticised for their lavish lifestyle as Zimbabwe's economy dived. ( Reuters: Philimon Bulawayo )

ABC/Reuters