News / National
Exhumed Zipra liberation fighters' remains unburied
1 hr ago |
50 Views
The Fallen Heroes Trust of Zimbabwe (FHTZ) is awaiting Treasury approval of a US$28 000 budget to facilitate the reburial of the remains of 36 liberation war combatants exhumed last year in Sanyati and Hurungwe, amid preparations for an intensified national exhumation and reburial programme in 2026.
The remains, belonging to ZIPRA freedom fighters who perished during the liberation struggle, were recovered from mass graves as part of ongoing efforts to restore dignity to combatants who were buried anonymously decades ago.
Currently, the exhumed remains are being held at Kadoma and Karoi District Morgues, pending reburial at the Grand Parade Farm Shrine in Hurungwe.
FHTZ submitted the burial budget to the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle in mid-2025 for onward transmission to Treasury. The burials were initially scheduled for December, shortly after the Christmas holidays, but could not proceed due to the non-disbursement of funds.
In an interview with Zimpapers Politics Hub, FHTZ national chairperson Dr Arthur Makanda said the organisation remains ready to proceed as soon as funding is released.
"Once the budget is disbursed, we will go ahead with the burials," said Dr Makanda, emphasising that the delay is administrative rather than organisational.
However, the burial programme has also been affected by what Dr Makanda described as a highly sensitive spiritual development involving prominent liberation fighters who died more than six decades ago.
He said manifestations linked to high-profile fallen comrades from Mashonaland West and Manicaland had indicated that burials should temporarily be paused until their own exhumations are prioritised.
"The issue is a very sensitive one," said Dr Makanda.
"If we divulge everything now, it will be our own problem. This is a story that will only be told after a green light has been given by the comrades who are manifesting. They asked us to keep it under wraps, but it will be an earth-shattering event with the potential to become national."
He added that the manifesting fallen heroes had identified themselves as key figures in Zimbabwe's liberation history, but did not disclose a timeline for when approval to proceed with their exhumations would be granted.
These developments come as FHTZ has declared 2026 a decisive year for large-scale exhumations and dignified reburials of liberation war combatants buried in mass graves both inside and outside Zimbabwe.
Dr Makanda recently revealed that the Trust has received fresh and credible intelligence pointing to previously undocumented mass graves, including sites beyond Zimbabwe's borders.
One report indicates that at least 53 combatants are buried in a known shallow grave, with two fighters believed to be lying across the border in Zambia's Shilo area.
He said cross-border coordination and strict adherence to cultural and spiritual protocols require a cautious, phased approach to the exercise.
The Sanyati and Hurungwe exhumations, whose remains now await reburial, marked a major milestone in FHTZ's work last year and underscored the scale of unresolved burials from the liberation struggle, during which many fighters were hastily buried in mass graves following battles and aerial bombardments.
The remains, belonging to ZIPRA freedom fighters who perished during the liberation struggle, were recovered from mass graves as part of ongoing efforts to restore dignity to combatants who were buried anonymously decades ago.
Currently, the exhumed remains are being held at Kadoma and Karoi District Morgues, pending reburial at the Grand Parade Farm Shrine in Hurungwe.
FHTZ submitted the burial budget to the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle in mid-2025 for onward transmission to Treasury. The burials were initially scheduled for December, shortly after the Christmas holidays, but could not proceed due to the non-disbursement of funds.
In an interview with Zimpapers Politics Hub, FHTZ national chairperson Dr Arthur Makanda said the organisation remains ready to proceed as soon as funding is released.
"Once the budget is disbursed, we will go ahead with the burials," said Dr Makanda, emphasising that the delay is administrative rather than organisational.
However, the burial programme has also been affected by what Dr Makanda described as a highly sensitive spiritual development involving prominent liberation fighters who died more than six decades ago.
He said manifestations linked to high-profile fallen comrades from Mashonaland West and Manicaland had indicated that burials should temporarily be paused until their own exhumations are prioritised.
"The issue is a very sensitive one," said Dr Makanda.
"If we divulge everything now, it will be our own problem. This is a story that will only be told after a green light has been given by the comrades who are manifesting. They asked us to keep it under wraps, but it will be an earth-shattering event with the potential to become national."
He added that the manifesting fallen heroes had identified themselves as key figures in Zimbabwe's liberation history, but did not disclose a timeline for when approval to proceed with their exhumations would be granted.
These developments come as FHTZ has declared 2026 a decisive year for large-scale exhumations and dignified reburials of liberation war combatants buried in mass graves both inside and outside Zimbabwe.
Dr Makanda recently revealed that the Trust has received fresh and credible intelligence pointing to previously undocumented mass graves, including sites beyond Zimbabwe's borders.
One report indicates that at least 53 combatants are buried in a known shallow grave, with two fighters believed to be lying across the border in Zambia's Shilo area.
He said cross-border coordination and strict adherence to cultural and spiritual protocols require a cautious, phased approach to the exercise.
The Sanyati and Hurungwe exhumations, whose remains now await reburial, marked a major milestone in FHTZ's work last year and underscored the scale of unresolved burials from the liberation struggle, during which many fighters were hastily buried in mass graves following battles and aerial bombardments.
Source - The Herald
Join the discussion
Loading comments…
