HEROES SPECIAL: ‘The killing fields of Mutare’

10 Aug, 2014 - 06:08 0 Views
HEROES SPECIAL: ‘The killing fields of Mutare’ Fallen Heroes of Zimbabwe Trust chief exhumer Anyway Chinyani (left) sifting through the pile of human bones as the trust's chairman Cde George Rutanhire, Zanu-PF Manicaland Provincial chairman Ambassador John Mvundura and members of the Zimbawe National War Veterans Association looks on

The Sunday Mail

With the patience equalling that of Biblical patriarch Job, who remained steadfast despite the fact that he had lost everything that mattered most to him, the duo carefully sifts through the heap of decaying bones.

Ignoring the suffocating stench and the possibility of getting in contact with dangerous acids, the exhumers — with great care — separate human bones from those of horses. A human skull with a bullet lodged in it is carefully wrapped and deposited into a plastic bag and; so is a skeleton with missing limbs.

Fallen Heroes of Zimbabwe Trust chief exhumer Anyway Chinyani (left) sifting through the pile of human bones as the trust's chairman Cde George Rutanhire, Zanu-PF Manicaland Provincial chairman Ambassador John Mvundura and members of the Zimbawe National War Veterans Association looks on

Fallen Heroes of Zimbabwe Trust chief exhumer Anyway Chinyani (left) sifting through the pile of human bones as the trust’s chairman Cde George Rutanhire, Zanu-PF Manicaland Provincial chairman Ambassador John Mvundura and members of the Zimbawe National War Veterans Association looks on

Hooves and other parts of horses are neatly piled at the other end of the makeshift mortuary. Bullets and live hand bullets occupy the a part of the tarpaulin and steel structure.

Digging deeper, they come across the remains of a woman with a child still strapped to the back. Emotions are high. People break down and wail.

The heart-rending scene is only a small part of an on-going exhumation and identification exercise taking place at a disused shaft at Guinea Fowl Mine just outside Mutare.

So far, more than 50 bodies of slain freedom fighters, war collaborators and civilians — victims of the Rhodesian armed forces atrocities — have been pulled up from the mine shaft.

The Fallen Heroes of Zimbabwe Trust (FHZT), which is in charge of the operation here, estimates that more than 300 bodies could be pulled up from this secret burial ground.

“According to the mine records, the shaft is 100 metres deep. So far, we have only managed to go as far as 45 metres. Close to 250 more bodies might be pulled up at the end of the operation,” says Mr Anyway Chinyani, the trust’s chief exhumer.

The shaft is tucked between two mountain ranges and the area is said to have been a no-go area during and after the liberation war.

Less than a kilometer away is the notorious Grange army base where Rhodesian soldiers tortured and massacred guerilla fighters, suspected collaborators and anyone else they did not like.

Mr Ganizani Phiri has haunting memories.

“I have been staying at this farm since 1953. I saw, with my own eyes, captured freedom fighters being led to the torture chamber. I also saw bodies of killed freedom fighters being carried away in Land Rovers to a location that we did not know,” Mr Phiri recalls.

The torture chamber still stands today — a simple small white building whose demonour belies the atrocities that went on within.

A small concrete slab where the electric chair used to stand remains.

According to locals, captured freedom fighters were subjected to all forms of torture such as electric shocks and being submerged in water for long periods.

Recently, a concealed soak-away pit was discovered near the torture chamber. It is believed that the blood of those tortured and killed here flowed into this.

Exhumers say more bodies are likely to be found in the pit and nearby caves.

The majority of the bodies have bullet wounds and there is evidence that some of the victims were hanged before being thrown into the shaft.

Evidence also points to some of the victims having been thrown into the pit whilst still alive. And not to mention those fighters dipped alive in drums of burning acid.

Some of the victims were dismembered.

Some sections of the media have claimed the remains are a result of post-Independence atrocities, but Cde George Rutanhire, the FHTZ chair, is adamant that what they have discovered are the results of white minority Rhodesian rule.

“Everything points to the victims having been killed during the liberation struggle. The majority of the victims wore the uniforms and type of shoes that our fighters wore during the struggle. Those that are claiming that the victims were not our fighters are unrepentant Rhodesians,” Cde Rutanhire insists.

According to Cde Rutanhire, Rhodesian soldiers dumped the carcasses of horses shot by freedom fighters in mine shafts to conceal their losses from the world.

To neutralise the stench of rotting corpses, they threw oranges into the shaft before sealing it.

Jacob Nyambundu (19), the artisanal gold miner who first stumbled upon the remains, says, “During the days when I was working in Harare, I was told by a spirit medium that I was going to stumble upon an important discovery. I am not from this area and even up to now, I don’t even know how I ended up here. The spirits of the fallen heroes guided me to this shaft.”

Nyambundu, who has joined the exhumation team, goes on: “Before we discovered the bodies, the people that I was working with at one time decided to abort the exercise. Something inside me told me to soldier on. I literally commandeered my fellow workmates to soldier on. I believe that the freedom fighters were calling me to liberate them.”

Churches in Manicaland say they will assist in providing decent burials.

“Everyone fought for this country. Christians and non-Christians fought and died for this country. Some of the people that are down this shaft were Christians. When we return to our congregations, we are going to educate our members on the importance of being patriotic,” says Reverend Obert Shatai of the United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, who led a delegation of eight churches on a visit of the mine and torture chamber.

Zanu-PF Manicaland provincial chair Ambassador John Mvundura says the ruling party has approached the relevant authorities seeking permission for the exhumed fighters to be buried near the mining shaft.

“The only way we can thank the people that died fighting for this country is by safeguarding the gains of our hard-fought Independence . . . After what we have witnessed here, some people will go out there and serve the interests of the same white people that massacred our sons and daughters and threw them into disused mine shafts like dirt.”

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