Online Reporter
Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter
A MOVING mix of emotions – pain, joy, jubilation, and reflection – filled the air at Ruwombwe Mountain as families of liberation war heroes and heroines, who perished during the Second Chimurenga, finally received the exhumed remains of their loved ones for dignified reburials.
Forty-six years after the brutal battles waged at Ruwombwe Mountain in Makoni West Constituency, the families of the fallen heroes have found closure, learning the circumstances leading to their loved ones’ demise, and the location of their final resting places.
This significant step towards healing has brought immense comfort and relief to the families, who can now pay their respects and bid proper farewell to their fallen relatives.
For many, the reburial process has been a long-awaited opportunity to lay their loved ones to rest with the honour and ceremony they deserve – a chance to celebrate the bravery and selflessness of their family members who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country’s freedom and independence.
The Manicaland Identification, Exhumation and Reburial of Fallen Heroes Trust is spearheading the process, supported by Government, traditional leaders, communities, war veterans and collaborators.
The collective effort seeks to locate, exhume, and rebury the remains of liberation heroes, who fell during the course of the Second Chimurenga.
Communities and collaborators are playing a vital role in identifying the locations of the mass graves where many fallen heroes were buried during the war.
Spirit mediums are also contributing to the process, using their spiritual practices to evoke the spirits of the deceased cadres so that they can reveal crucial information, including the heroes’ official names, war names, and details about their relatives and fellow comrades.
The information is then corroborated by relatives and surviving comrades, ensuring accuracy and dignity in the reburial process.
To date, 68 fallen heroes have been exhumed in the Ruwombwe area, while additional remains were recovered from a mass grave at Nyazura Police Station, where white authorities had buried fallen black liberation fighters.
Mbuya Grace Kwambana, of Honde Valley, said it was a golden opportunity to be able to see the remains of her former husband, the late Cde Livingstone Mukodza, who left her with a two months pregnant in 1975 to join the liberation struggle.
She never heard of her husband’s whereabouts since then and their son is now a 46-year-old man.
She broke down telling The Manica Post that Cde Mukodza only left a note that he was joining the war.
“I married Livingstone in 1975, and when I was two months pregnant he went to join the war. He just left a note written: ‘Mudiwa ndaenda kwakaenda vamwe, tozoonana’. This was my last time to see him. I gave birth to a son. I thought we were going to be reunited at independence, but he never came back.
“During the war, Livingstone briefly operated in Honde Valley, but I did not manage to see him. He left Honde Valley after a fierce battle on Hwahwadzira Mountain, and I did not know where he went. I later moved on and married someone else, but I always remembered him. This year, I was surprised to receive a call that Livingstone’s remains had been found. His son, William, is now 46-years-old and a retired army officer.
“I would like to thank those carrying out the exhumation process as it is helping to bring closure to missing family members. We also thank the spirit mediums where departed heroes are manifesting through for giving correct and accurate information in locating our fallen relatives. Through spirit mediums, Livingstone managed to direct the exhumers to his relatives. He named all his close relatives and war veterans contacted us,” said Ms Kwambana.
Engineer Oswel Chakwanda said their family was happy to be reunited with the remains of their departed brother, Rodwell, who left the country in 1976, and died at Ruwombwe through poisoning.
He said they are grateful to community members of Ruwombwe for keeping the history of the war alive, which has helped to locate shallow graves scattered on the mountain.
“I am a young brother to Rodwell. We are from Zviyambe. Our brother died in 1979 during the war, and for 43 years, we did not have any idea of where he died and where he was buried. We would like to thank Government and those leading the exhumation and reburial of fallen heroes for the wonderful work they are doing.
“We gathered that Rodwell died through poisoning, and when the spirit medium showed us his remains, we positively identified him through the dental profile which are unique for our family members.
“Surprisingly all his teeth were still intact. Initially we wanted to carry out DNA tests, but we were convinced beyond doubt that the remains belong to our brother because of the dental profile.
“Fortunately when he was dying from the poison, he revealed to his fellow colleagues, his real name, address and names of our parents. He gave all the details.
“This information was also known by community members, and they kept it intact and this helped to locate his shallow grave.
“My brother crossed into Mozambique in 1975, and operated in this area from 1976
till he died in 1979. In 1980, we were so pained to discover that our brother was not among the returning comrades. To add salt to the injury, we were not aware where he had perished and could not bury him. He was buried wrapped in a blanket, which is still intact, and we are going to rebury him at the family farm in Zviyambe,” said Engineer Chakwanda.
Cde Elia Katito, alias Cde Hoza, a war collaborator, who worked with all groups of comrades who operated in the area, said besides open fire war, many comrades succumbed to food poisoning.
He said he assisted Cde Dominic Chinenge, now Vice President of Zimbabwe, Retired General Dr Constantino Chiwenga, when he was injured in 1979.
He revealed that there are still more graves in Ruwombwe and surrounding areas.
“I was the one who worked closely with the fighters as a collaborator. The first fighters to operate here include Cdes Peter Sakandonge, Peter Mashatini, Penny Penny Shungu, Tunzi and Beaven, among many others.
“The comrades perished at different intervals during the war in this mountain range. Cdes Beaven and Tunzi and four others died after eating poisoned biscuits in 1977.
“I showed the exhumers where these comrades were buried in the mountain. In
December 1979, this is where Cde Dominic Chinenge, the now Vice President Rtd General, Dr Constantino Chiwenga, came from Marange area where he was operating. It was towards ceasefire, and fighting broke out between freedom fighters and Rhodesia Front soldiers. He was shot and injured.
“He was shot on the legs. I think they were ambushed because they had travelled overnight to reach this place. We took him to a cave in Ruwombwe Mountain where he got treatment. I was sent to Tegwa Matewa to collect medication for Cde Chiwenga.
“Other injured, include Cdes Consider, Nhamoinesu and two others, whom I have forgotten. My father, Boniface, who was accompanying these comrades, was also injured. Cde Nhamo (Cde Anselem Sanyatwe, Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Minister) is the one who took the injured Cde Chiwenga from Ruwombwe and went via Sharara, Chipembere up to Tangwena in Nyanga where he further received medical treatment.
“There are a lot of fallen comrades still lying in Ruwombwe, and there is still a lot of work to be done to exhume them. I am still doing my mujiba work as I contributed my vehicle to the exhumation process. Our heroes deserve proper burial,” said Mr Katito.
A survivor of the 1979 Ruwombwe battle, Cde Clifford Rutsate, whose Chimurenga name was Cde Sando, said they were attacked by the Rhodesians during ceasefire, but fiercely fought back, leading to casualties and injuries from both sides.
“In 1979, after my arrival from Yugoslavia, and we entered this area being led by Cde Chiwenga. We arrived at Ruwombwe, but we were spotted while hiking Nembudziya Mountain. When we camped here, the Rhodesian Forces deployed helicopters, and I fired first the moment I spotted them, without an order from my commander.
Others followed me in firing at the Rhodesians.
“We were so bitter because we had received information that Cde Tongogara had died.
We fought bravely that night. I disembarked from the mountain around 2am, and along the way, I saw dead bodies of comrades and Rhodesian Forces. We ran to a base in Mutungagore area where we met the likes of Cde Peter Mashatini and others,” said Cde Sando.
Chief exhumer and spirit medium, Cde Grace Mlilo said she is possessed by the spirit of her uncle, which enables fallen heroes to speak through her.
“I am the one who gets possessed by the spirit of fallen heroes. I have a spirit of my uncle who was also a war veteran.
“They speak through me for identification, and I don’t know what will be happening when I am possessed.
“I have been doing this at Chibondo Site in Mt Darwin, Butcher Site in Rusape, Matumba Six and now at Ruwombwe Shrine.
“We are facing funding challenges in carrying out this work. Our operations are oiled by well-wishers, especially communities and traditional leadership. This is making our work difficult, and there are a lot of comrades lying here, but due to lack of resources, for four months we exhumed only 68. It just happens ‘naturally’ to separate the comrades and arrange the remains without mixing them. The comrades will be directing me,” said Cde Mlilo.
