News / National
Remains of 129 liberation war heroes reburied
14 Nov 2013 at 12:47hrs | Views
THE Fallen Heroes of Zimbabwe Trust (FHZT) last week completed the reburials of 129 skeletal remains of people who were executed and dumped in shallow graves at the Castle Kopje in Rusape by the Rhodesian forces.
The victim's remains were reburied at the Makoni District Heroes Acre, which is adjacent to the point of execution, notoriously referred to as "the butcher".
The work by FHTZ - which involved the identification, exhumations and reburials, follows a request by the traditional and local leadership in Makoni to have the place, which also served as a Rhodesian martial court, where political prisoners were subjected to extra-judicial killings, cleansed.
However, the process took longer than anticipated, resulting in traditional leaders and war veterans fuming over delays in conducting reburials.
Chiefs complained that graves had lain unoccupied for long, an act that they said violated the local culture, which states that once dug, a grave should be occupied by the body in the shortest period.
The Zimbabwe National Army provided personnel to speed up the reburial process, while the department of National Museums and Monuments and some well-wishers provided some coffins.
Minister for Presidential Affairs Cde Didymus Mutasa officiated at the event that started on Wednesday and ended on Saturday.
He said it was Government's wish that freedom fighters, whose remains were scattered in shallow graves across the country, be decently reburied.
"Government will continue supporting programmes like these to ensure that all freedom fighters are appeased through identification, exhumation and reburials. I would like to thank the FHTZ for starting and finishing this programme," said Cde Mutasa.
National Assembly member for Makoni South and war veteran Cde Mandi Chimene, who was involved in the process from its initial stage, blamed delays on lack of political will power from leaders in Manicaland.
"It is sad that the process took so long to complete. The delays were unnecessary and were due to sheer lack of commitment by leaders, who despite knowing that the process was essential turned a blind eye on it.
"The issue of the Makoni reburials was so disappointing because some (leaders) hide behind their Christian religious beliefs to say they cannot go back to the shrine, a stance which some of us do not agree with.
"As leaders we must be equally cultural and passionate about such issues of national importance," said Cde Chimene.
The reburials were done in four batches to cater for the children, civilians, spirit mediums and guerillas ' who were all victims of the brutal Ian Smith regime and had their remains dumped in the shallow mass graves.
The spirit mediums were buried in the wee hours of Thursday.
"There was a special re-burial procedure which had to be followed for the spirit mediums. According to our culture as the VaUngwe people, they had to be buried first and very early in the morning. That is what the culture says and we did exactly that," said Cde Chimene, who is the daughter of the Makoni dynasty (muzvare).
The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association chairman for Makoni, Cde Mike Makiweni, also expressed reservations at the absence of political leaders at such an event.
"We do not agree with such conduct.
"Takavavhotera, havachada kudzoka kuvanhu, they are busy kuita zvechirungu.
"They must have sacrificed to attend to show respect for these local heroes," said Cde Makiweni.
The butcher was located adjacent Castle Kopje, in the Magamba extension of Rusape.
The captured revolutionary fighters, mujibhas and chimbwidos would be brought at the camp for execution after being sentenced to death at a make-shift kangaroo court.
The victims would be hanged by the chin using the butcher hooks while in iron legs and then raised up above the bunkers as shooting targets.
Rhodesian forces also used civilians as moving targets in military training by using a crane to lift the human target so that trainee Rhodesian soldiers would shoot at different parts of the targets until the body was shredded into pieces.
The execution commander behind the cement bunker would shout out different targets he wanted the shooters to hit.
To destroy the evidence, those who would have partaken in the cleaning and burial of the victims would also be shot and thrown into the mass graves.
The victim's remains were reburied at the Makoni District Heroes Acre, which is adjacent to the point of execution, notoriously referred to as "the butcher".
The work by FHTZ - which involved the identification, exhumations and reburials, follows a request by the traditional and local leadership in Makoni to have the place, which also served as a Rhodesian martial court, where political prisoners were subjected to extra-judicial killings, cleansed.
However, the process took longer than anticipated, resulting in traditional leaders and war veterans fuming over delays in conducting reburials.
Chiefs complained that graves had lain unoccupied for long, an act that they said violated the local culture, which states that once dug, a grave should be occupied by the body in the shortest period.
The Zimbabwe National Army provided personnel to speed up the reburial process, while the department of National Museums and Monuments and some well-wishers provided some coffins.
Minister for Presidential Affairs Cde Didymus Mutasa officiated at the event that started on Wednesday and ended on Saturday.
He said it was Government's wish that freedom fighters, whose remains were scattered in shallow graves across the country, be decently reburied.
"Government will continue supporting programmes like these to ensure that all freedom fighters are appeased through identification, exhumation and reburials. I would like to thank the FHTZ for starting and finishing this programme," said Cde Mutasa.
National Assembly member for Makoni South and war veteran Cde Mandi Chimene, who was involved in the process from its initial stage, blamed delays on lack of political will power from leaders in Manicaland.
"It is sad that the process took so long to complete. The delays were unnecessary and were due to sheer lack of commitment by leaders, who despite knowing that the process was essential turned a blind eye on it.
"The issue of the Makoni reburials was so disappointing because some (leaders) hide behind their Christian religious beliefs to say they cannot go back to the shrine, a stance which some of us do not agree with.
"As leaders we must be equally cultural and passionate about such issues of national importance," said Cde Chimene.
The reburials were done in four batches to cater for the children, civilians, spirit mediums and guerillas ' who were all victims of the brutal Ian Smith regime and had their remains dumped in the shallow mass graves.
The spirit mediums were buried in the wee hours of Thursday.
"There was a special re-burial procedure which had to be followed for the spirit mediums. According to our culture as the VaUngwe people, they had to be buried first and very early in the morning. That is what the culture says and we did exactly that," said Cde Chimene, who is the daughter of the Makoni dynasty (muzvare).
The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association chairman for Makoni, Cde Mike Makiweni, also expressed reservations at the absence of political leaders at such an event.
"We do not agree with such conduct.
"Takavavhotera, havachada kudzoka kuvanhu, they are busy kuita zvechirungu.
"They must have sacrificed to attend to show respect for these local heroes," said Cde Makiweni.
The butcher was located adjacent Castle Kopje, in the Magamba extension of Rusape.
The captured revolutionary fighters, mujibhas and chimbwidos would be brought at the camp for execution after being sentenced to death at a make-shift kangaroo court.
The victims would be hanged by the chin using the butcher hooks while in iron legs and then raised up above the bunkers as shooting targets.
Rhodesian forces also used civilians as moving targets in military training by using a crane to lift the human target so that trainee Rhodesian soldiers would shoot at different parts of the targets until the body was shredded into pieces.
The execution commander behind the cement bunker would shout out different targets he wanted the shooters to hit.
To destroy the evidence, those who would have partaken in the cleaning and burial of the victims would also be shot and thrown into the mass graves.
Source - Manicapost
