MK fighters buried in city to be exhumed

THE remains of South Africa's Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK) fighters, who died in Zimbabwe and were buried at Bulawayo cemeteries, are set to be exhumed and repatriated to the neighouring country for reburial.

MK fighters fought against the South African apartheid regime under the African National Congress in collaboration with PF Zapu’s military wing, the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (Zipra) which was also engaged in an armed struggle against British colonial rule.

Zimbabwe got its independence in 1980 while South Africans got theirs in 1994.

According to latest minutes of Bulawayo City Council meetings, plans to exhume the remains of some MK veterans interred at Athlone and Hyde Park cemeteries are underway.

"The department of health services received a delegation from the Republic of

South Africa to visit graves of former Umkhonto we Sizwe fighters, who died in 1967 and were buried at Athlone and Hyde Park cemeteries,” the minutes read.

“Repatriation of the remains was in progress.”

Details of how many MK cadres are buried at the cemeteries are yet to be established.

MK was using Zipra's infiltration routes to smuggle supplies to its fighters in South Africa, and organised a joint expedition with the latter in August 1967.

A combined MK-Zipra force came under attack from the Rhodesian security forces during Operation Nickel, and the survivors were driven back across the border into Botswana and Zambia.

Those who died were buried in Bulawayo.

Meanwhile, Umvutcha Cemetery received bodies from outside Bulawayo with those from South Africa numbering 16.

"Luveve cemetery received bodies from outside Bulawayo as follows, South Africa 16, Esigodini (one), Bubi ( one), Insiza (one), Umguza (one), Nyamandlovu (one) and Gwanda (two)," read the minutes.

On cremations, the council noted that mourners were reluctant to cremate the bodies of their loved ones.

The local authority has been trying to encourage residents to embrace cremations to save the available burial space but there have been few takers.

Last month, only three bodies were cremated.

Councillors have in the past suggested that residents bury their loved ones at their rural homes or cremate their remains among others to save burial space in the city.

Council once mooted plans to introduce mandatory cremations for children under the age of 12, but the proposal was rejected by residents.