Online Reporter
Leeroy Dile
Herald Correspondent
IN a bid to enrich many youths with national history and heritage, Zanu PF affiliate, Mushroom Growers 4ED, travelled to the sacred Chimoio Shrine in Mozambique.
Mushroom Growers 4ED chairperson Mrs Tendai Mapfumo said the visit last Friday, was in line with the Government’s desire to ensure every citizen got an appreciation of how the country attained independence.
“This is our second visit as a group to this site; we are coming with a lot of youths to enrich them with our country’s history and heritage,” she said.
Mrs Mapfumo said President Mnangagwa had fulfilled his promise of developing infrastructure at liberation war sites in Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia to ensure future generations were able to learn more about the struggle for independence.
At Chimoio Camp, there is a lot of work being done to improve infrastructure for the benefit of visitors.
“Our President said no one and no place should be left behind and this is ringing true here. When we first visited, there was much less infrastructure; now you can see the new fence and accommodation for the shrine caretaker,” said Mrs Mapfumo.
The shrine holds everlasting memories for many Zimbabweans, particularly due to Operation Dingo, commonly known as the Chimoio Massacre, at the Tembwe base from November 23 to 25, 1977, when thousands of Zanla forces were killed by Rhodesian forces.
Explaining to the delegation, National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) Eastern Region heritage education officer, Mr Martin Nyamatedya, said: “This mass grave you are seeing is real, and we are not sure about the numbers inside, but many soldiers, children, and women perished here.
“For three days, there was continuous bombing by the white settlers.”
The settlers spent over six months planning the bombardment of the Chimoio Camp.
After visiting the shrine, most participants, who had only known this history through textbooks, were moved to tears by the accounts of what transpired in 1977.
“My message to the youths is to never give up, as the comrades did. After Operation Dingo, the fight for freedom continued, and eventually, in 1980, we won,” said Mrs Mapfumo.
The Mushroom Growers 4ED is involved in mushroom cultivation as a project and source of income.
Such regional tours are thought to offer opportunities to interact with fellow farmers and buyers, thereby opening up new markets.
Mushrooms are a nutritious food source beneficial for health, and the affiliate is travelling around the country to teach small-scale farmers how to cultivate mushrooms, creating employment opportunities for youths and women.
