Dead in 1973, declared hero in 2018, grave still empty since 2023

An unfilled grave tucked just metres from a homestead in Hwedza has become a symbol of grief, broken promises, and fading hope for the Chadoka family. For years, they have waited for the remains of their late relative, Elias Chadoka - a liberation war hero - to be repatriated from Harare, but the grave remains deserted, a ghostly reminder of unresolved sorrow.

The story dates back to 1973 when Chadoka and his comrade Chitiyo, both political activists who had escaped from Mt St Mary's High School to undergo military training in Zambia, were captured and hanged by colonial authorities. Their bodies were buried in a shared grave at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.

In 2018, President Emmerson Mnangagwa posthumously conferred national hero status on the two fallen fighters. The Chadoka family, relieved by the long-awaited recognition, promptly requested that Chadoka's remains be exhumed and returned home for reburial. A grave was constructed in his rural home near his father's final resting place in anticipation of a swift process.

However, seven years on, the grave remains empty. Weeds have now claimed the site, and with them, the family's hope has withered.

"We do not know what lies ahead," said Newland Chadoka, a nephew of the deceased. "We've been calling on the authorities to seal this issue once and for all, but our pleas continue to fall on deaf ears."

Despite assurances and official documents confirming the hero status - including a letter signed by Zanu-PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu dated April 16, 2018 - the family says there has been no action from the government regarding the reburial.

"We have knocked on so many doors," said another family member. "At one point, we were informed that traditional rites needed to be conducted at Chikurubi before any reburials can take place, but the process is painfully slow. We don't know when - or if - this will ever happen."

Robert Zhanda, Chadoka's maternal uncle and a tireless advocate for the reburial, has grown weary of the wait. "I am tired now. It's been story after story. I even went to the Zanu-PF headquarters for the first time in my life, but nothing came out of it. My sister's son's grave is still empty, and now even his own brother who was helping us push for this has passed away."

Efforts to obtain a comment from the War Veterans ministry and Zanu-PF offices in Mashonaland East were unsuccessful.

The family now fears that the symbolic grave could become permanent, not for its intended purpose, but as a stark testament to bureaucracy and neglect. Though the slab covering the grave is in place, closure remains elusive.

"We just want to bring Elias home. He was declared a hero - and heroes deserve a dignified resting place," said one relative.

As each day passes, the family clings to the hope that a call will come - a call from the authorities telling them to prepare to finally bury their hero. But for now, that call remains unanswered, and the pain lingers.