Mohadi visits mass grave of 300 ZIPRA fighters in Angola

Vice President Colonel (Rtd) Kembo Mohadi has expressed Zimbabwe's gratitude to the people of Angola's Moxico Province for sheltering ZIPRA freedom fighters during the liberation struggle, pledging that government will construct a shrine and monument in honour of those who perished in the 1979 Boma bombing.

Mohadi made the remarks on Tuesday when he visited Boma Shrine, where more than 300 ZIPRA cadres were buried after a devastating air raid in February 1979.

"As the government, we are going to construct a befitting monument and a shrine with a roll of honour so that the history of our country will remain forever," Mohadi said. "What happened to these comrades is something that breaks our hearts. We are calling for survivors and those who know the names of the comrades lying here to help us so that their families can find closure."

The Vice President also paid homage to Angolans, particularly the people of Moxico, for their solidarity during the liberation war.

"We will forever be indebted to you, the people of Angola, for accommodating us. You were a young republic, yet you received us, and you even lost your relatives because of us. We are sorry that it took us this long to come, but we will do everything in our power to ensure this place never looks like this again," he said.

For the Boma community, the events of February 26, 1979 remain an indelible scar. One villager recalled: "It was terrible. Very early in the morning, we saw planes coming in, then what followed was the sound of bombs we had never heard before. We saw a lot of dead bodies and it was scary. Up to today, I cannot forget it."

Local leaders also expressed their enduring solidarity with Zimbabwe. Chief Ernisto Francisco said: "We have never forgotten our friends and our people who died in this war."

Moxico provincial governor Dr Ernisto Muangala pledged Angola's full support for Zimbabwe's plans. "We are going to support this. We are brothers since the war. We never felt safe even after getting independence while Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa were still under bondage. So we will continue to support Zimbabwe."

The mass grave, measuring 10 by five metres, alongside other unmarked burial sites in Boma forest, stands as a painful reminder of the sacrifice made by liberation fighters. The Second Republic has embarked on a programme to immortalise such contributions by constructing shrines in countries where fallen cadres are interred, with Boma identified as a priority.

Meanwhile, Vice President Mohadi handed over food hampers to traditional leaders in Boma village before laying wreaths at the Luena Monument of Peace.