Online Reporter
Dr Arthur Makanda
THE Fallen Heroes Trust of Zimbabwe (FHTZ) in October this year suspended the much-publicised reburial of 36 former ZIPRA cadres exhumed in Sanyati and Hurungwe and the remains were supposed to be interred at the Grand Parade Farm Shrine in Hurungwe.
However, plans are now afoot to conduct the exercise.
As the month of November draws to a close, and as a trust, we are now starting to reactivate our preparations for the reburial of fallen heroes. The reburials were put on hold when we entered the month of November, as we could not perform the rituals required before reburying the comrades.
We had put in place a number of activities to facilitate the reburials and these are what we are now reactivating.
For instance, we had submitted our budget to the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs and also held a meeting to discuss the budget and other issues relating to the reburials.
A borehole was drilled at the site as we believe we will be reburying many more comrades at the site.
Transport to ferry those comrades from the Kadoma Hospital mortuary was secured.
What remains is for the ministry to release the budget. I am happy that this comes just after the ZANU PF 22nd National People’s Conference, which resolved that the Government must fund these reburials. I am sure the Government will not spike this resolution.
Our greatest challenge is working with Government officials who think they know what must be done to bring closure or finality to the issue of those who fell during the liberation struggle, without having the other side of the story.
Have you ever imagined why many are manifesting and wanting to be exhumed and reburied either at their homes or places of their choice?
It is because some of the officials think the dead cannot determine their destiny or their final resting place; they think they have the final say, that this is what is good for our fallen heroes, which is not the case.
This is compounded by the lack of understanding of signs or signals given by the fallen comrades.
For example, we have a comrade who manifested in Mwenezi and showed the officials where he hid his weapon during the struggle, but refused to show them where his remains are, saying they were not clean and would not carry the exhumations in accordance to his culture.
These are signals sent to us the living by these comrades.
These signals need those who understand them to explain and follow the guidance given by the fallen comrades.
A good example is what appeared on social media where a senior official visited the Doroi Transit Camp in Mozambique, where some comrades lie and was explaining about flowers that were recently laid, including wreaths after a high-level visit.
The explanation given was that maybe it was because there were no proper structures and well-maintained graves, yet it was a protest to say we want to be repatriated and be buried in our country for which we lost our lives.
We have been getting such a message from those who lie in Zambia and Tanzania. There are many signals that I can share but will do so when the time is ripe.
The problem is when we sometimes share with officials about the work we are doing, they think we are using this exercise to open doors for us to meet His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, yet that is far from it.
Our wish is for him to have first-hand information from the fallen comrades. Our President is a listening President. We are confident he will listen and take appropriate measures.
Dr Arthur Makanda is the national chairman of the Fallen Heroes Trust of Zimbabwe, an organisation that honours and assists with the burial of fallen liberation heroes. The trust’s work, supported by a fund, includes exhumations and providing coffins for decent burials for those who sacrificed their lives for Zimbabwe’s independence. Dr Makanda was speaking to Zimpapers Politics Hub Reporter Richard Muponde.
