Online Reporter
Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter
GOVERNMENT has announced plans to construct a clinic at Ruwombwe Memorial Shrine in Makoni District to honour liberation war heroes who died in the area during the liberation struggle that gave birth to independence in 1980.
Speaking during the recent commissioning of Toriro Clinic waiting mothers’ shelter, Skills Development and Audit Minister as well as Member of House of Assembly for Makoni West Constituency, Dr Jenfan Muswere, said the proposed health facility will serve as both a lasting memorial to fallen freedom fighters, and a critical healthcare centre for surrounding communities.
Dr Muswere added that the project reflects the Government’s commitment to preserve the legacy of those who sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom, while addressing locals’ healthcare needs.
“The construction of this health facility is a fitting tribute to the heroes and heroines who paid the ultimate price during the liberation struggle. It will stand as a symbol of remembrance and service to future generations. Ruwombwe Shrine occupies a significant place in the country’s liberation history, having been the scene of intense encounters during the war that claimed the lives of several freedom fighters.
“Makoni Rural District Council has been tasked with identifying the suitable place for this clinic, and we will have a groundbreaking ceremony soon to mark the beginning of the construction. Preliminary assessments for the project have already begun, we are engaging the local communities and other stakeholders before construction starts,” said Dr Muswere.
War veterans praised the initiative, saying it will ensure that sacrifices made during the liberation struggle are remembered through a project that directly benefits citizens.
Zimbabwe National War Veterans Association’s national secretary for Historical Affairs and Heritage and chairman for the Manicaland Identification, Verification, Exhumation and Reburial of Fallen Heroes, Cde Gift Kagweda, said Ruwombwe was a strategic site with significant history, used as a transit base by fighters travelling to and from Mozambique.
“We welcome the idea of a memorial clinic at Ruwombwe. We exhumed 68 fallen heroes at that shrine, and 58 were reburied properly there, and some were taken by their relatives. Ruwombwe witnessed serious battles during the war of liberation struggle. Fighters coming from Mozambique would pass through Ruwombwe for deployments and supplies were distributed from there.
“This made the area frequent to attacks by the Rhodesian soldiers. A number of senior Government and army personnel passed through Ruwombwe. A health facility is a befitting tribute to the heroes who did not make it into free Zimbabwe. We, however, call upon the Government to spruce up the burial site, fence it off, drill a borehole, and fund the final exhumation exercise for comrades who are yet to be exhumed in the mountain,” said Cde Kagweda.
Government has in recent years intensified efforts to preserve and develop national shrines and other sites associated with the liberation struggle, viewing them as important symbols of the country’s history and identity.
Government recently spruced up the Butcher Site at Makoni District Heroes Acre, Matumba Six in Mutasa District and Dzapasi Assembly Point in Buhera.
