A painful unearthing of history

Richard Muponde

Zimpapers Politics Hub

LAST week, the Fallen Heroes Trust of Zimbabwe (FHTZ) concluded the exhumation of 29 ZIPRA freedom fighters at Sanyati Rest Camp.

The exhumations revealed harrowing details of how the gallant sons and daughters of the liberation struggle were brutally murdered by the Rhodesian security forces during the country’s protracted liberation war.

Reburial of the fallen comrades has not only brought closure to grieving families but also cast a stark light on the atrocities committed during the country’s liberation struggle. These exhumations form part of a wider effort to locate and properly bury thousands of fighters still lying in unmarked graves. Yet, they also raise uncomfortable questions: How many more such sites remain undiscovered? And how should Zimbabwe reconcile its painful past with its present?

In a solemn update on the progress of the exhumations yesterday, FHTZ chairperson, Dr Arthur Makanda said the remains will now be transported to Kadoma Hospital mortuary for preservation, marking a key phase in the Trust’s ongoing efforts to recover and re inter freedom fighters who died in unmarked and mass graves across the country.

“As of today (Friday), we will be concluding arrangements to ferry our 29 comrades to Kadoma Hospital mortuary,” Dr Makanda said.

“This latest phase covers those comrades who were mostly clustered around the first location where we started digging. Only two were found burned outside the camp, a particularly gruesome discovery we personally witnessed.”

The exhumations have unearthed disturbing evidence of torture, humiliation, and execution, a stark reminder of the cruelty meted out to liberation fighters by the Rhodesian forces in their dying days.

“The most painful thing is that some of these comrades were captured alive and then forced to drink poison,” Dr Makanda revealed. “Worse still, some were executed by fellow blacks acting under orders from the white Rhodesian commanders. This level of callousness is horrifying and cannot go unpunished or forgotten.”

According to Dr Makanda, the slain fighters were not afforded the rights and protections expected of prisoners of war under international law.

“These were prisoners of war; they should have been protected by international conventions. Instead, they were degraded, starved, beaten and murdered in cold blood. Some were made to eat faeces and drink what the Rhodesians called ‘white urine,’ a sick mockery of Zimbabwe’s future,” he said.

As Zimbabwe prepares to commemorate the Heroes and Defence Forces holidays on August 11 and 12, respectively, Dr Makanda called for national dialogue on restitution and reparations for families of the fallen heroes.

“We cannot simply march and speak words once a year. We need real recognition for these fighters and their families,” he said.

“They died fighting for the freedom we enjoy today. They were offered a chance to swap sides and live but they refused. That is the definition of sacrifice.”

Also, Dr Makanda urged the Government and civic leadership to initiate serious efforts to secure compensation for the war crimes committed by the Rhodesian regime.

“We must fight jointly as a nation for reparations. These heinous crimes, the torture, the humiliation, the loss of life, demand restitution,” Dr Makanda said.

The Sanyati Rest Camp, which once housed Rhodesian military operations, has turned into a site of grim discovery. Since last week, the FHTZ, a volunteer-driven organisation comprised largely of spirit mediums and ex-combatants, has exhumed the skeletal remains of 29 ZIPRA cadres, believed to have been killed between 1977 and 1979.

The site has become a symbol of unresolved trauma, as the country grapples with its painful liberation history. Many of the graves were shallow and unmarked, and the physical condition of the remains points to extreme cruelty.

In some instances, bodies were burned, dismembered, or buried with chemical burns on their bones, revealing the unspeakable suffering endured in their final hours.

Dr Makanda indicated that the team expects to recover a few more remains before preparing for reburial, a process that also involves informing affected families.

“After this phase, we hope to identify two more groups before we begin the reburial process. The families deserve closure,” Dr Makanda said.

“We try to visit and inform them beforehand, but without Government funding, everything is slow and painful.”

Despite the Trust’s efforts, the task remains daunting. Thousands of ZIPRA and ZANLA fighters remain buried in unmarked graves across the country. The FHTZ has consistently called on the Government to provide official support, something that has yet to materialise.

“There is no formal law or budget provision to fund these exhumations,” he lamented.

“We operate on member contributions. But this is a national duty. These comrades gave their lives; the least we can do is ensure they are buried with honour.” As Zimbabwe approaches its national commemoration days of Heroes and Defence Forces in August, the exhumations at Sanyati stand as a grim but necessary confrontation with the cost of Independence and the moral debt owed to those who paid the ultimate price.