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Isdore Guvamombe
Reflections
It is a wintry August morning, as the sun rises imperceptibly, a young couple walks along a defined footpath sandwiched by stunted bush shrubbery down a valley and up a ridge in Nyazvidzi area in Gutu district, Masvingo.
The wife sidesteps to answer the call of nature and Lo and Behold! She steps on a shallow mass grave and suddenly, a spirit of a freedom fighter buried there hooks up with her. She manifests! In fact, there are six freedom fighters in the shallow grave.
The woman’s husband Mr Trust Peter is shocked but has no option as the spirit announces that there are five other fighters in the same grave and instructs the couple to ensure that their story is told to the world and they are accorded a decent burial.
Since 2016, Cde Cephas Sibanda whose Chimurenga name is Choka Mabhunu, affectionately known simply as Cde Cephas in Government circles, in the Fallen Heroes Trust and in Gutu and Hurungwe districts, is an enigma spirit, that has led a long winding journey to acquire land for a dignified burial of himself and his fallen colleagues.
For Cde Cephas and his colleagues, their struggle continues as bureaucratic bungling continues at the lands offices in Karoi and Chinhoyi who superintend over Grand Parade farm, where the dead fighters have identified land through the host medium.
The six Cdes now manifest in the woman Nyaradzo Pakai. They take turns to come out and speak. But Cde Cephas is the leader. The maverick Cde. Ode Cde Cephas!
This is not fiction, neither is it a script for an African war movie. It is reality. Live!
Last weekend, this villager, tracked Cde Cephas’ host medium Nyaradzo Pakai at Grand Parade Farm in Hurungwe and spent a night there. The trip was facilitated by Fallen Heroes Trust chairman Dr Arthur Makanda.
In a rare interview Cde Cephas, manifested and narrated their war antics, death, and the battle to get land to for decent reburial.
“There are six of us in that shallow grave. We operated in Masvingo (Gaza province) and our commander was Cde Tanganeropa now Happison Muchechetere before he went back to Mozambique and was replaced by Charles Munyoro (late Brigadier General Walter Epmarcus Kanhanga).
“We had gone for 7 days without food. In October 1979 we wanted to go to Dzapasi Camp and we got to Village Head Goga’s place. We asked for food from a woman we saw.
“Food came around 2pm. We did not know that the water and food was poisoned. We all died. By the time the woman came to pick her plates we were dead. We were buried by Cde Benz Chikadzi Dzinorura in a shallow grave. He is still alive and somewhere in Kariba.
“There is me Cde Cephas and five others. We were buried like rats, no blankets, wrapped in tree leaves.”
Cde Cephas Sibanda was born in Matopos near Bulawayo on November 2 1958 and joined the liberation struggle in 1977 by crossing via Chimanimani.
He trained as a medic at Chitepo Base 2 in Mozambique before being deployed to Gaza province where he operated in Gutu, Chivi and Triangle.
“We operated Gutu, Chivi, Triangle up and down, doing battles. I know many places where Cdes died and are buried. We need all of them reburied.
“I was happy when this woman stepped on our grave. We decided it was time to come out and have our case heard. We have gone through a lot with this woman, using her to fight our cause.
“We have been all over with her and today we want to be reburied at Grand Parade. But we have not been given the offer late for this land. Our host has been knocked around like football, to have us reburied at a decent place.
“We are not happy. We have been struggling to get land for a decent burial. We died for this country. Fallen Heroes Trust chairman Cde Makanda has been blocking us from beating up or even killing people blocking our burial. We respect him but one day we will go behind his back. What is our crime? We fought for Zimbabwe but some people in Karoi and Chinhoyi (names supplied) are playing with fire. We will fight them,” said Cde Cephas with a sob.
During the manifestation last weekend, Cde Cephas, requested the Fallen Heroes Trust leader to allow them to fight on their own.
“I cannot encourage you to kill people. Can’t we find another punishment that is not killing people in offices. Yes, you died for this country, Cde Cephas, but I plead with you, to be patient.
“We will accord you a decent reburial this August. The land issue should be solved soon,” said Cde Makanda.
Ode Cde Cephas. He is ready to help hundreds of other fallen freedom fighters who lie dotted in shallows graves in the bushes and little everywhere else, to get decent reburials.
Cde Cephas gives pin point position of where some Cdes are buried in Bhasera, Gutu, Nyazvidzi, Devure and so on. He also knows of one Cde Makanaka, a female combatant, who manifests and wants to be buried back home.
“Cde Makanaka is buried in a shallow grave in Chimoio and wishes to be exhumed and reburied back home.
“But the complication is that there are remains on 175 other Cdes on top of her. Now this is complicated but she wants to be reburied back home. She is angry,” says Cde Cephas.
But Pakai’s husband, Mr Peter, is a strong man. He has endured long nights of his wife manifesting, Cde after Cde. He has had to live with the rules and regulations of the dead Cdes. And, he still loves his wife.
“I have accepted everything. That is my contribution to the struggle. I have to help my wife go through all this. But I am happy there is progress in reburying them.”
While this sounds stranger than fiction, there are real issues with fallen heroes and their issues still need to be resolved. I believe, this is why President Mnangagwa has created a whole ministry to war veterans. May their souls rest in eternal peace. They died for this country.
Online Reporter
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