By A Correspondent
The Zimbabwean government is pushing ahead with a proposed law to exhume, repatriate, and rebury thousands of fallen liberation war heroes — a move raising eyebrows as the country grapples with a deteriorating public health system.
The legislation, currently under legal review, aims to support a nationwide and cross-border effort to recover the remains of combatants still buried in unmarked mass graves more than four decades after the country’s independence.
Minister of War Veterans Affairs Monica Mavhunga defended the move during a press briefing in Harare on Thursday, insisting it is a matter of national dignity and historical justice.
“As we continue to look after surviving veterans, it is not lost on Government that there is a need for memorialisation through repatriation, exhumation, reburials and related processes,” she said. “This legislation is a key step towards fulfilling the promises made by comrades during the war that no one would be left behind.”
The announcement comes just weeks ahead of the Heroes and Defence Forces commemorations set for August 11 and 12, and as government hospitals face chronic shortages of medicine, equipment, and personnel.
Critics say the exhumation programme, however noble, exposes misplaced priorities in a nation battling collapsing health services, rampant drug stockouts, and low doctor morale.
Still, authorities are pressing ahead. Minister Mavhunga said the process would involve several ministries, veterans’ associations, traditional leaders, political structures, and even foreign governments.
“The Ministry has approached the Office of the President and Cabinet to provide guidance on a coordinated approach,” she said. “We are working hand-in-hand with the Ministries of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage; Local Government and Public Works; Foreign Affairs and International Trade and other stakeholders to ensure this is done in a dignified, inclusive and nationally guided manner.”
She also commended the work already being done by the Fallen Heroes Trust of Zimbabwe and traditional leaders to identify and exhume remains in areas such as Masvingo, Hurungwe, Sanyati, and Rusape.
“I want to sincerely appreciate the work being done by the trusts, traditional leaders and communities who have kept this memory alive. Their role in identifying graves has been invaluable,” Mavhunga said.
Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Kazembe Kazembe added that the programme transcends political and geographical boundaries.
“These gallant sons and daughters are still our heroes,” said Kazembe. “Whether they lie at the National Heroes Acre or in the bush, they are the foundation of our independence. We are crafting not only policy, but also a historical correction. The journey towards their reburial has begun.”
Mavhunga said efforts were also underway to locate and honour fighters buried beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.
“We are engaging neighbouring countries to assist with the identification and possible repatriation of our fighters. In cases where repatriation isn’t possible, we will ensure their resting places are marked and preserved,” she said.
In a recent exhumation operation at Sanyati Rest Camp, the Fallen Heroes Trust unearthed the remains of 29 ZIPRA fighters and is preparing to return to exhume 15 more, a mix of ZIPRA and ZANLA cadres. A total of 64 remains — 55 ZIPRA and 9 ZANLA — will soon be reburied at the Grand Parade in Hurungwe in a joint ceremony.
As the Bill moves through Parliament, the government insists it is fulfilling Zimbabwe’s promise to its liberators — but critics are left wondering whether the living are being forgotten in the process.