Online Reporter
Richard Muponde
Zimpapers Politics Hub
ALL is set for the burial of 37 ZIPRA liberation war heroes at Grand Parade Farm in Hurungwe, Mashonaland West, today, with preparations gathering momentum as grave digging, construction and slab casting advance with assistance from the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS).
The remains of the 37 cadres, who were exhumed from mass graves in Sanyati and Hurungwe by the Fallen Heroes Trust of Zimbabwe (FHTZ), are lying in state at Grand Parade Farm after being ferried from mortuaries in Kadoma and Karoi.
The fallen fighters, who were killed during the liberation struggle and buried by the Rhodesian regime, will be laid to rest at the Chebere Shrine at Grand Parade Farm.
FHTZ chairman Dr Arthur Makanda yesterday said preparations for the reburial had been completed, with only the burial ceremony remaining.
“All is set for our reburial of the 37 comrades that we spoke about last year. We have had some delays, but now everything else is in motion.
“We have collected the bodies from Kadoma and Karoi, and the two that we had not exhumed because of traditional reasons were exhumed on Tuesday,” said Dr Makanda.
He said the remains were now at the burial site and the preparations had reached an advanced stage, with the fallen cadres set to receive full military honours in recognition of their contribution to the liberation of Zimbabwe.
“All the comrades that we are going to rebury are now at the site, so we are just waiting to rebury them tomorrow as agreed. We are preparing for the burial of our comrades who liberated this country. They did a great job and everything else is in place,” he said.
Doves has provided 37 coffins, blankets and other burial accessories, while the ZNA has provided tents for the ceremony.
Buses have also been dispatched to ferry mourners from Sanyati and Hurungwe districts, with a pungwe scheduled for tonight ahead of tomorrow’s proceedings.
The cadres have been accorded liberation hero status and are expected to receive full funeral honours.
The ceremony is expected to be presided over by Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Cde Mariam Chombo, with Government officials and thousands of people expected to attend.
Dr Makanda said the reburials were part of an ongoing programme to identify, exhume and rebury liberation fighters who are still lying in unmarked and mass graves.
“There are a number of comrades who are still to be identified, exhumed and reburied and we will continue with the exercise. We cannot stop at this point because there are still comrades whose resting places need to be identified and accorded the dignity they deserve,” he said.
The exercise fulfils the 22nd Zanu PF National People’s Conference resolution adopted in Mutare last year, which directed Government to prioritise the repatriation and reburial of liberation heroes buried inside and outside Zimbabwe, as well as the rehabilitation of liberation shrines.
President Mnangagwa has repeatedly stressed the need to preserve the sacrifices of liberation heroes, with the issue featuring prominently in his 46th Heroes Day address at the National Heroes Acre on August 10, when he called on the nation to remember those who sacrificed their lives for independence.
Vice President Kembo Mohadi has also championed the preservation of liberation heritage beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.
Following his regional visits to liberation shrines in Zambia, Tanzania, Angola and Mozambique, he has called for the rehabilitation of neglected burial sites so that the selfless sacrifices of fallen freedom fighters are preserved for future generations.
President Mnangagwa said the theme of the 46th Heroes Day commemorations, “Lest We Forget,” was a national commitment to honour every sacrifice and preserve the liberation story for future generations.
Tomorrow’s burial therefore becomes another practical expression of that commitment, ensuring that comrades who paid the ultimate price for Zimbabwe’s freedom are no longer left in forgotten mass graves, but receive the dignity due to those who gave their lives for the nation.
Ends.
