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Zipra 'ghosts' haunting people in Hurungwe
30 Sep 2013 at 04:43hrs | Views
USPECTED Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (Zipra) fighters who died during the liberation war are reportedly haunting people in Hurungwe, Mashonaland West, amid revelations traditional leaders in the district have invited surviving former fighters for exhumation and reburial ceremonies of their late comrades.
The revelations were made at the Zipra Veterans and Nitram Holdings (Pvt) Ltd annual general meeting at Castle Arms in Bulawayo on Saturday where the veterans' Mashonaland West leader Jonah Moyo said chiefs in the province wanted them to visit isolated graves of their colleagues who died in combat.
Mashonaland West was the Zipra liberation fighters' operational area during the liberation struggle and many guerrillas not originally from the province are believed to have died in the province.
"The chiefs complain that a lot of our comrades and civilians died in the province during the war and there are a lot of remains scattered in the bush and not properly buried," Moyo said.
"The area does not have good rains and chiefs suspect it's because of human remains littering the bush."
Moyo said Zipra veterans in Mashonaland West want the association's national leadership to visit the province to work out a plan on how to give the remains of their late comrades decent burials.
He also revealed that some Zipra members suffered mental illnesses after independence because of the effect of the war and perpetual suffering.
The Saturday meeting discussed plans by the war veterans to put pressure on President Robert Mugabe to ensure the return of all properties belonging to Zipra fighters that were seized by his government.
At independence in 1980, all Zipra combatants contributed Z$50 each towards the purchase of properties, which were registered under Nitram Investment Holdings.
The properties are scattered all over the country.
The revelations were made at the Zipra Veterans and Nitram Holdings (Pvt) Ltd annual general meeting at Castle Arms in Bulawayo on Saturday where the veterans' Mashonaland West leader Jonah Moyo said chiefs in the province wanted them to visit isolated graves of their colleagues who died in combat.
Mashonaland West was the Zipra liberation fighters' operational area during the liberation struggle and many guerrillas not originally from the province are believed to have died in the province.
"The chiefs complain that a lot of our comrades and civilians died in the province during the war and there are a lot of remains scattered in the bush and not properly buried," Moyo said.
"The area does not have good rains and chiefs suspect it's because of human remains littering the bush."
Moyo said Zipra veterans in Mashonaland West want the association's national leadership to visit the province to work out a plan on how to give the remains of their late comrades decent burials.
He also revealed that some Zipra members suffered mental illnesses after independence because of the effect of the war and perpetual suffering.
The Saturday meeting discussed plans by the war veterans to put pressure on President Robert Mugabe to ensure the return of all properties belonging to Zipra fighters that were seized by his government.
At independence in 1980, all Zipra combatants contributed Z$50 each towards the purchase of properties, which were registered under Nitram Investment Holdings.
The properties are scattered all over the country.
Source - Southern Star
