By Political Reporter- Once a revered symbol of unity and sacrifice in Zimbabwe, The National Heroes Acre, is now mired in controversy as a growing number of liberation war veterans reject burial at the site.

The latest to do so is former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, who was laid to rest Sunday at his Douglasdale home in Bulawayo.

Mphoko’s decision follows a series of similar snubs by prominent nationalists, reflecting deep divisions over the legacy of the Heroes Acre and the ruling Zanu PF’s role as gatekeepers of national heroism.

Dumiso Dabengwa, a former ZIPRA intelligence chief, was buried at his rural home in Ntabazinduna in 2019 after expressing distrust of the government.

Welshman Mabhena, an ex-ZAPU stalwart, openly denounced the Heroes Acre as a resting place for “corrupt people” and opted for a private burial in 2010.

Even former President Robert Mugabe, ousted in a 2017 coup, rejected the Heroes Acre and chose burial at his rural home in Zvimba, while Tshinga Dube, another ZIPRA commander, had his family’s wishes for a Bulawayo burial overridden by the government.

This growing trend highlights a fractured national identity and the disillusionment of liberation icons with Zanu PF’s custodianship of the Heroes Acre.

Once intended to honour those who fought for independence, the site is increasingly seen as a political tool, reflecting a legacy of division and mistrust rather than unity and sacrifice.