Rhodes at Matopos, Remembering the Past Without Erasing It

I have seen a growing number of newspaper articles, social media posts and public commentaries demanding the removal of Cecil John Rhodes' grave from the Matopos (Matobo Hills). While the emotions behind these calls are understandable, I strongly believe there is no need to remove the grave. Doing so would neither change history nor heal the past. History, whether pleasant or painful, cannot be erased or eradicated from Zimbabwe.

Cecil John Rhodes is undeniably a controversial figure. His name is associated with colonialism, exploitation and dispossession, realities that Africans rightly continue to interrogate and condemn. However, history is not a public relations exercise, it is a record of what happened, not what we wish had happened. Removing graves, statues or monuments does not undo historical injustice. Instead, it risks reducing our understanding of history to selective memory.

Zimbabwe is already benefiting economically from visitors who travel from across the world to Matopos specifically to see where Rhodes is buried. Many tourists, historians and scholars visit not out of admiration, but out of curiosity seeking to understand who this strategist was, why he chose Matopos as his final resting place, and what role he played in shaping southern Africa. This form of heritage tourism brings millions into the country through park fees, accommodation, transport and local services. Destroying or relocating the grave would be a self-inflicted economic wound.

Rhodes died at the relatively young age of 49, yet his influence on infrastructure, mining, politics and regional geopolitics is still being felt more than a century later. One does not have to praise him to acknowledge his historical impact. Preserving his grave does not glorify colonialism, it provides a physical site where history can be interrogated, debated and taught in its full complexity.

Matopos itself is a sacred and significant site long before Rhodes arrived. That fact should be emphasised, protected and taught alongside the colonial narrative. Zimbabwe is mature enough as a nation to hold multiple truths at once, honouring indigenous heritage while also preserving colonial-era sites as reminders of what we overcame.

Countries that are confident in their identity do not fear their history. Europe preserves castles of tyrants, battlefields of conquest and graves of controversial leaders not to celebrate oppression, but to remember, to learn and to ensure mistakes are not repeated. Zimbabwe should do the same.

Rather than removing Cecil John Rhodes' grave, we should preserve it, contextualise it and tell the full story honestly and unapologetically. The grave should stand not as a symbol of reverence, but as a lesson carved in stone, a reminder of where we came from, what was done to us, and how far we have come as a sovereign nation.

Engineer Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi
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