Reliving the ‘Butcher Site’
LYING on the 15-hectare open savannah grassland, dominated by a small castle-shaped kopje, surrounded by gently sloping ground is the evidence of the atrocities committed by the colonial masters.
The liberation war heritage site called ‘Butcher Site’ in Rusape under Makoni District in Manicaland Province’s name was derived from the magnitude of the atrocities believed to have been committed by the Rhodesian forces at the site.
The site comprises of two open graves which are remnants of the exhumation exercise conducted almost a decade ago, individual graves with remains interred after the exhumation, a shooting range gallery, the district heroes’ acre and the tomb of the unknown soldier.
In total, 21 mass graves were exhumed at the site, resulting in the uncovering of 113 skeletal remains, while two individual skulls were picked from nearby kopjes.
The total number of graves at the site is 129, inclusive of those of other remains brought from different parts of the country, seven from Guruve.
The exhumation of mass graves and subsequent reburials of the remains in individual graves were undertaken by the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ), working in collaboration with the Fallen Heroes Trust of Zimbabwe (FHTZ).
Overview of its history
‘Butcher Site’ is a shooting range believed to have been used as a Rhodesian forces secretive interrogation, torture and execution base during the later phase of the Second Chimurenga (1976 – 1980). Before independence, the name ‘Butcher’ was non-existent, although some locals heard through hearsay that people captured
by the Rhodesian forces were being killed at the shooting range.
Originally, the range was located on the expansive Castle Base Farm owned by a white farmer nicknamed Vhudzi.
It is claimed that the site had a resident court martial, located at the range’s administrative office, and the shooting range became an execution area for freedom fighters under court martial, war collaborators and civilians suspected of aiding liberation war fighters.
It is alleged that those who were condemned to death were executed by a firing squad, and were used as live still or mobile targets, hence the name ‘Butcher’ coined by comrades when reminiscing what was happening at the site.
The executed individuals were dumped in unmarked shallow mass graves scattered around the site. It is believed that some of the captured individuals who were adjudged to be aiding the struggle were asked to dig and bury their dead compatriots in order to instil fear in them.
With time, the shallow graves were exposed due to erosion and in 1993 efforts were made to rehabilitate some of the mass graves.
In 1996, the site was designated as a district heroes’ acre at the recommendation of war veterans in Makoni District.
The site carries immense historical value as it is one of the many discovered and undiscovered mass graves sites in Zimbabwe.
The site serves to partly explain the fate of some of the people unaccounted for during the liberation struggle.
As the country celebrates 44 years of independence this year, sites like these help Zimbabweans to remember and honour the selflessness of freedom fighters, and the immense suffering they went through which galvanised them to end colonial rule, showing the futility of the atrocious Rhodesian regime tactics. The site, now incorporating the Makoni District Heroes’ Acre, commemorates the sacrifices of the gallant sons and daughters of Zimbabwe who died during and after independence.
It is a sad reminder of the evils of colonial oppression and subjugation of the will of the people to determine their sovereign destiny.
The site now known as Magamba which is a more dignified stature, serves as an educational tool in the instruction of the current and future generations about the history of the liberation struggle.
With Zimbabwe turning 44, the devolvement of national Independence Day commemorations to different provinces under
the Second Republic, ‘Butcher Site’ stands as a representation of the arduous journey to attain Zimbabwe’s independence.
Befittingly, the site will be the first stop in Manicaland Province for the Independence Day Flame on its way to Buhera, the hosting district for this year’s commemorations.
The desperate attempt by Rhodesian forces to suppress the irreversible course of the liberation war is demonstrated by the extent of the killings and the gruesome nature of the deaths, both in terms of circumstances and methods used.
The drive taken by war veterans is testament to the promise and commitment made by liberation war fighters that they will accord their fallen comrades decent burials after the war.
Sites like ‘Butcher Site’, Chibondo in Mt Darwin and Herbert Mine (Matumba Six) in Mutasa District should continue to remind us to value Zimbabwe’s independence and the benefits thereof.