War vets demand exhumation, reburial of fallen cadres

VETERANS of Zimbabwe’s 1970s independence armed struggle have pleaded with Parliament to fast-track laws on the exhumation and reburial of ex-combatants buried in mass graves mainly in Zambia and Mozambique.

The fallen guerrilla 1970s war fighters are presently buried at Freedom Camp, Mkushi in Zambia and Chimoio, Nyadzonya and Tembwe in Mozambique.

War veterans leader Sam Parerenyatwa also petitioned Parliament last year to exercise its powers to cause the repatriation and reburial of the remains of ex-combatants.

Parerenyatwa is an executive member of the Zimbabwe National War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) as well as chairperson of the association’s Mashonaland Central provincial leadership.

Appearing before the Albert Nguluvhe-led Committee on Defence, ZNLWVA chairperson Douglas Mahiya said their departed colleagues deserved decent burial.

“War veterans want to come home and get a decent burial. You can't ignore the people who fought our liberation struggle, who want to be buried at home,” Mahiya said.

“Let’s honour and respect the war vets by giving them a decent burial. The dead are not being given an opportunity for a decent reburial in the land that they fought for.”

The country has no policy on exhumation and reburial, despite some having occurred in the 1980s and 1990s.

Mahiya added: “War veterans are not being buried because of lack of funds, but everyone in Parliament speaks about the good work they did. All war veterans who are in and outside the country should be given a decent burial ... War veterans do not have a quota in Parliament, but they are the ones who fought for this country.”

In 2020, the remains of 11 suspected freedom fighters were exhumed in Mutoko district and reburied at Kapondoro Heroes Acre in Mutoko East constituency.

Mutoko district was one of the hotspots of the liberation struggle due to its proximity to the neighbouring Mozambique, where youths were trained to fight the Ian Smith-led regime.