Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka, [email protected]
COMMUNITY leaders and villagers in the Libeni-Gwenyukwenyu area of Ntabazinduna, Umguza District, have allayed fears that the grave of National Hero, Cde Dumiso Dabengwa, is under siege from illegal gold panners.
They clarified that while initial prospecting occurred near the communal cemetery, the activity was a local initiative that was promptly halted to ensure all legal and traditional protocols were observed.
During a high-level community meeting yesterday, leaders clarified that the site is a communal cemetery, emphasising its significance as a shared heritage site for the entire community.
It is here that Dr Dumiso Dabengwa, who died on May 23, 2019, at the age of 79, rests alongside his father, George Mavakatsha Dabengwa who died in 1972, his mother, Elsie Dabengwa (died October 23, 1977), and his wife, Zodwa Dabengwa (née Khumalo), who died on June 15, 2023. They are buried among hundreds of other local families.
The meeting sought to correct reports from Dr Dabengwa’s brother, Mr Collen Zidla Ndlovu, who recently stated that illegal mining began about 18 months ago when groups armed with metal detectors descended on the area.
“The gold panners are on the verge of destroying and tampering with the graves of our relatives…
“My brother is also buried at this community graveyard, and we are appealing to the Government to intervene,” Mr Ndlovu had previously stated.
However, the community yesterday maintained that the sanctity of the shrine remains intact and that recent reports of desecration do not reflect the reality on the ground.
Village head Mr Thembani Mpofu (95), who was representing the Chief, said that while gold deposits were recently discovered in the vicinity, the activities were part of a community-led initiative to regularise mining for local development, a process that was halted to ensure all legal and traditional protocols were observed.
He said the community would never allow the graves of their ancestors or the National Hero to be tampered with.
“The reports circulating are not true. Firstly, this is a community graveyard where Cde Dabengwa is laid to rest alongside other community members. It is false to say the cemetery is on the verge of being vandalised,” said Mr Mpofu.
“Our community would never fold its hands and watch the graves of their relatives being destroyed.
“The youths accused of this are from this very area, they would never desecrate their own heritage,” he added.
“While there were initial attempts at prospecting after gold deposits were spotted, we stopped them immediately to allow mining experts to be called in to establish a formal way forward. The National Hero’s resting place is safe.”
Mrs Khethiwe Sibanda (74), a local villager, expressed disappointment over the portrayal of the village as being disrespectful to the dead and to the spirit of the National Hero, Cde Dabengwa.
“We were shocked to read that Cde Dabengwa’s grave is under siege. This is a community cemetery, not a private family plot as some have been led to believe.
“As a community, we welcomed the hero to be buried here among us, and we hold him in the highest respect,” she said.
Mrs Sibanda said the Ntabazinduna community has a history of protecting the site, having previously chased away “soil poachers” who tried to dig gravel in the area.
“The truth is that the mining activities were stopped long before they even approached the cemetery fence,” she added.
Mr Ian Manzini (59), who represents and works with the youths in the community, said the discovery of gold was seen as an opportunity to empower local youths and move them away from social ills like alcohol abuse.
He noted that the prospecting was done at a respectful distance from the cemetery fence.
“We have since obtained a prospecting licence and intend to enlist a surveyor to quantify the deposits.
“Our goal is to apply for a community mining licence so that we can unlock our resources to fund local projects, such as a secondary school,” said Mr Manzini.
He said the initiative was in line with the Second Republic’s developmental philosophy.
“We are living true to President Mnangagwa’s philosophy, Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo/Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo by developing our own area in a way that does not disturb our sacred sites,” he said.
While the community was united on the safety of the graves, some villagers raised concerns regarding land management in the district.
Mr Cain Ndlovu decried the alleged parceling out of grazing lands to outsiders without the knowledge of traditional leaders.
“While the cemetery is safe, our bigger concern is the land and grazing pastures being parcelled out to outsiders at the expense of locals.
“We are appealing to President Mnangagwa to set up a commission to investigate how our land is being occupied without our knowledge.
“We need to protect the grazing lands we have reserved for our cattle,” he said.
The meeting concluded with a resolution to work closely with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and local police to ensure that any future mining in the area is done legally and respectfully.
The late Cde Dabengwa, known during the liberation war as the “Black Russian” for his military training in the Soviet Union, the Zpra head of intelligence.
After Independence, he served in several high-profile government roles, including Minister of Home Affairs.
Despite his national stature and his status as a National Hero, Cde Dabengwa chose to be buried not at the National Heroes Acre in Harare, but at his family cemetery in Ntabazinduna—among his own people, in the soil that shaped him.
Peter Tanyanyiwa