THE Gutu District Heroes’Acre, which for years has been former freedom fighters
cause of concern due to its sub-standard status, is transforming into a befitting final
resting place for the departed gallant sons and daughters of the soil.
The District Heroes’ Acre which lies on the eastern periphery of Mupandawana
Town, was established and officially opened by the late Vice President Simon
Vengai Muzenda, who hailed from this district, in 1982.
The Heroes’ Acre started off with the interment of the remains of fallen freedom
fighters who had been buried in shallow graves of threes and fours or whose
remains were in the open during the war.
These were exhumed from the rural and farming areas and placed in seven mass
graves at the shrine, marking the start of the district interment shrine for Liberation
War Heroes and other heroes.
The District Heroes’ Acre has over the years seen business icons in the area, Mr and
Mrs Mkushi and famous writer, Modekai Hamutyinei, joining the scores of Liberation
fighters at shrine for their contribution towards the liberation of this country. Other
business icons in the area, who received war hero status are Elias Dzimba
Madondo of the famous Tafara Madondo Hotel kwa Solo naMutsai and Zvichemo
Mawere, who were some of the pioneer business people at Mupandawana Growth
Point and supported the liberation war through provision of goods and meeting
places for the guerrilla fighters. The last two are, however, buried at their homes
near Mupandawana.
Despite promises and assurances over the years to upgrade the Heroes’ Acre to
deserving and befitting status, along the lines of the National Heroes’ Acre by some
people who include relatives of those lying at the shrine, nothing materialised,
leaving the shrine in a sorry and neglected state with most of the graves being
mounds of soil while others have been eroded to and levelled.
With the only maintenance at the Acre done days before Heroes’ Day
commemorations, the place became overrun by vegetation, making its District
Heroes’ Acre a mockery.
This kicked off an outcry from the war veterans and surviving family members of
those lying at the shrine because of the state of neglect.
Although at the establishment of the Heroes’ Acre a perimeter fence, running water,
toilets and a shelter were put up, these were vandalised and stolen with efforts to
restore the fence, meeting the same fate.
The Zimbabwe Water Authority (ZINWA) which supplies water at the shrine has had
to resort to connecting supply only on Heroes’ Day to counter vandalism of the taps
and water.

The War Veterans, who had been trying to establish under whose remit the shrine
falls, have also over the years, knocked on Gutu Rural District Council, and Ministry
of Local Government and Public Works doors without much success.
With their main target being setting up of a caretaker's quarters at the shrine to
curb vandalism of property and for regular maintenance, they managed to get a
donation of cement and quarry stones some years back in efforts to put up a
security wall, but even the stones were stolen overnight, leaving the project stalled.
In a quest to improve the shrines outlook, the war veterans secured a donation of
cement from the Gutu West Member of Parliament, John Paradza, on his entry into
politics in 2017. This was used for cement slabs and “headstones” on some of the
seriously denuded graves.
Their efforts were again rewarded last year when Gutu Central Member of
Parliament, Winston Chitando, pledged standard tombstones.
With 42 single graves at the shrine and only less than 10 bearing standard
tombstones, Chitando paid for uniform standard tombstones with heads, their
transportation from Harare and having them set up.
With work still ongoing, 21 graves now have the standard tombstones with the other
outstanding delayed by efforts by the District Liberation War Veterans’ Association
trying to track relatives of the deceased for permission to remove existing ones and
replace them with the uniform ones.
The association is also daunted by the task of coming up with information and
identity of all those lying at the shrine as some of this information is still lacking. The
same goes for those in the seven mass graves at the shrines.
Speaking to ZIS, chairman of the District War Veterans’ Association, Matar Makuto,
said although they have run into a brick wall concerning the identities of some of the
fallen heroes at the shrine, they are still researching until all the graves are labelled
with their proper names.
He said the caretakers house, whose foundation has been set, will also House a
documentation centre, where the districts liberation war history will be documented
together with information about district, provincial and national heroes from the
district, lying at the local and other shrines.
The establishment of a District Field Officer (DFO) by the Ministry of Defence and
War Veterans’ Affairs in each of the countrys districts has also come as a blessing to
Gutu as these, in liaison with the war veterans, are now administering information
leading to the conferment and documentation of all district Heroes.
The Gutu DFO, Winnet Mufudza, riding on the National Clean-Up Day, has also
introduced a clean-up day at the District Heroes’ Acre each 25th day of the month
since last year, thereby maintaining the place in presentable shape.
The Ministry sent war veterans board members on a tour of District Heroes’ Acres to
determine their status, get locals' input and make recommendations on what should
be done to bring the district sites to acceptable standards.

The Gutu community has applauded efforts so far put at the district shrine saying
that all on the plans has been completed, it stands to be the province beacon and
will serve as a pointer for local contributions to have these shrines to a standard
instead of waiting for central government to do everything.
Gutu District is home to iconic National Heroes;
the late Vice President Simon Vengai Muzenda, his wife, Maudy Muzenda, Rtd
Major General Charles Dhauramanzi, Rtd Air Marshal Josiah Thomas Mberikwazvo
Tungamirai , Rtd General Vitalis Musungwa Gava Zvinavashe, George Taigarira
Mudukuti, Brigadier General Charles Patius Ruocha Gumbo and Shuvai Ben
Mahofa. – ZIS