Zim War Vets collect samples from mass graves in Zambia

A total of 568 people who claim to be members of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) recently visited Zambia to collect samples from mass graves of former freedom fighters. The group passed through Victoria Falls yesterday from the neighbouring country and said it was heading towards Njelele Shrine in Matobo District for a cleansing ceremony.

The group included five spirit mediums and 25 chiefs. Some of the chiefs are Marange, Chivero, Zimunya, Mugabe, Makoni, Makumbe, Nematombo, Chundu, Goronga and Nyajena.
Musician and former freedom fighter Chinx Chingaira, was also part of the group.

The group made headlines a few months ago when it embarked on unsanctioned visits to the Njelele Shrine in Matabeleland South Province.

The series of visits sparked outrage from traditional leaders and politicians, including war veterans who called for an end to the "disrespectful behaviour".

In an interview at Chogum Park in Victoria Falls yesterday where the group had a brief stopover for a ritual, one of the leaders, Charles Mpofu, said they had gone to former camps of Zipra freedom fighters in Zambia to "bring back the spirits" of the freedom fighters who were killed during the war.

They visited former Zipra camps such as the Freedom Camp and Nampundwe.

"We are here in Victoria Falls en-route to Matobo for a ceremony to welcome back the spirits of our brothers and sisters who were killed during the liberation struggle.

"This is a brief stopover, as we want to perform some rituals before proceeding to Matobo. This is our real culture, the practical side of where we come from and there is a need for this to be taught as part of the history of our country," he said.

Mpofu said the exercise should have been done way back in 1980 soon after the country attained independence.

"This is a very necessary process because these are our people, our brothers and sisters who were in the wilderness, but now we have brought them home. From Matobo, their spirits can then come out to their individual families," said Mpofu.

He said they left the country on 5 August and proceeded to Freedom Camp under Chief Chikumbi and Nampundwe under Chief Mukomwezha. "In Zambia, we took the spirits of our people that were there. This is the same journey we undertook when we went to Mozambique recently to bring back the spirits of our people," said Mpofu.

He said if this process had not been done, the country was going to remain in trouble, facing recurrent droughts and unnecessary squabbles.

"The country was going to remain ungovernable and people were not going to experience peace and tranquility," said Mpofu.

He said what was left was for the Government to consider assisting the families of the fallen fighters for their souls to rest in peace.

One of the spirit mediums, who was part of the group, Mbuya Kariva, said traditionally all the people who came from the war were supposed to be taken for rituals as a way of cleansing them.

"Those people's souls failed to return home after dying in a foreign land and what we are doing is to try and appease their spirits for our country to prosper," she said.

Another member of the group, Monica Mguni  Sikhosana said the only missing link in their programme were traditional leaders and people of Matabeleland.

"Maybe it is too far from Harare and the programmes come here late. I feel we need to be part and parcel of our culture as the people of Matabeleland," she said.

The group's planned visit to the shrine is likely to meet stiff resistance following a resolution by the Chiefs' Council last month that it should go back to the drawing board and follow proper procedures when conducting its rituals.

The decision by the Chiefs' Council came after the group insisted it would visit the shrine despite repeated warnings from chiefs from Matabeleland South and war veterans.

The Chiefs' Council president, Chief Fortune Charumbira, recently said the visits had the potential of dividing the country and causing tensions between regions and tribes.

War veterans chairman Jabulani Sibanda called the group renegades.

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