Online Reporter
Richard Muponde
Zimpapers Politics Hub
GOVERNMENT will on Saturday rebury 37 Zipra cadres exhumed from shallow graves in Mashonaland West Province at Grand Parade Farm in Hurungwe, as it accelerates efforts to accord fallen freedom fighters the dignified rest they deserve.
A media invitation issued by the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs for the reburial ceremony scheduled for 9am at Grand Parade Farm says:
“The reburial is part of Government’s ongoing programme to accord befitting and dignified rest to all heroes and heroines who perished during the liberation struggle.”
The ceremony marks the culmination of preparations to rebury the cadres whose remains were exhumed by the Fallen Heroes Trust of Zimbabwe (FHTZ) from mass graves in Sanyati and Hurungwe.
The reburial also gives practical effect to resolutions adopted at the 22nd ZANU PF National People’s Conference in Mutare last year, which directed Government to prioritise the repatriation and reburial of liberation heroes buried both inside and outside Zimbabwe.
The resolution further called for the rehabilitation of shrines and other sites where fallen heroes and heroines are buried, with a view to preserving the country’s liberation heritage for future generations.
The cadres, initially reported as 36, were exhumed by FHTZ last year, with their remains subsequently taken to mortuaries in Karoi and Kadoma while preparations for their final burial were being made.
FHTZ chairman Dr Arthur Makanda said his organisation had been directed by the ministry to identify personnel to work with Government officials on preparations for the reburials, including the procurement of the required items.
“I can confirm that the Ministry has tasked us to second personnel who will work with their staff members on items needed for the burials, and to come up with dates.
“That’s what we are working on as FHTZ, as directed by the Ministry,” he said.
The reburials had previously been postponed, with FHTZ having initially planned to conduct them last year.
“The delays included budget approval processes and the timing of the 22nd ZANU PF National People’s Conference.
President Mnangagwa has repeatedly called for the speedy identification, exhumation and dignified reburial of fallen liberation fighters, stressing the importance of preserving their sacrifices and the country’s national heritage.
The Government’s programme has also extended beyond Zimbabwe’s borders, with the country having previously repatriated the remains of South African liberation stalwarts who died and were buried in Zimbabwe.
The latest reburial programme comes ahead of the 23rd ZANU PF Annual National People’s Conference, which will be held in Chinhoyi next month, reinforcing Government’s commitment to ensuring that the sacrifices of the liberation struggle are not erased from the national memory.
