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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke in Chimoio, Mozambique
Government should increase efforts to come up with a conclusive database of all freedom fighters who perished during the war and give their families peace and closure, Manicaland Provincial Affairs Minister Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba has said.

She was speaking during a visit to the Chimoio Shrines, where thousands of cadres were buried in mass graves following the massacre by Rhodesian security forces on November 23, 1977 at the height of the liberation struggle.

Minister Gwaradzimba said not everyone who died during the war had been identified as most were buried in mass graves, while the remains of others were still lying in shallow graves, adding that it was imperative to involve the families in coming up with the database.

“It is high time we create a database. Each family should register at district level so that if the comrade’s Chimurenga name is known, then it can be matched and recorded.
“We need to have records of our heroes and document everyone. We know that some parents of children who died in the war are bitter, they want closure, we need to give them that at least,” she said.

Minister Gwaradzimba said there was also need for war veterans to also work on completing their own database to ensure that the documentation of history becomes complete.
“Let us not be lazy, we need to preserve our history and this can only be done by ourselves as war veterans.

“We are dying, and fast. Every week, we bury a liberation war hero.
“If we all die before documenting our experience of the war, who then will teach our children their history?
“This programme should start in earnest,” she said.

Dr Gwaradzimba also expressed sadness at the state of disrepair that the shrines are in.
She said there was need to move fast on rehabilitating the graves which had cracks and mending the perimeter fencing as well as maintaining the grounds which were being overwhelmed by long grass.

The repair of the shrines has been on the cards for years now, with the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality last year pledging to spruce up several liberation war historical sites, the shrines included.
However, nothing has been done so far.

“I came here so that I can see for myself what the situation is and not just relying on reports. I now have an insight on what needs to be done.

“I will write a report when I go back and present it to my superiors on the state of the shrines.
“I promise to do what I can to ensure that they are rehabilitated,” she said.
Manicaland War veterans’ chairman Cde Gift Kagweda said war veterans had already embarked on the compilation of a database for the comrades who were still alive.

He, however, said coming up with a database of those who died would take time and resources as there was need for witnesses to come forward with information and verification of the same.

On the state of the shrines, Cde Kagweda said the Department of War Veterans needed to be moved from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs for things to start moving.

“The people who have the necessary information on the shrines and their significance to the history of the country are the war veterans and we feel the department should come under our ministry.

“We have been lobbying to Government and we even talked to President Mnangagwa about it when we met him.
“Rehabilitation would be faster. It is our responsibility as war vets to make sure that these shrines are maintained and the resting place of our fellow comrades is well maintained,” he said.

He hailed the visit by the minister as she would be able to relay what she saw to the President and Government to facilitate some much needed changes.