Politicians and villagers in Matobo district have urged the government to reverse its decision to convert Balagwe Camp near Maphisa into a district heroes’ acre.
Report by Richard Muponde recently in Kezi
They said the camp reminded them of the Gukurahundi atrocities where at least 50 villagers killed by the Fifth Brigade were buried at the mass grave. In separate interviews with NewsDay over the weekend, the villagers accused the government of evoking their emotions by converting Balagwe Camp into a district heroes’ acre.
The councillor for Ward 10, Alexander Phiri (MDC-T), in whose ward Balagwe Camp was located, said the government should find an alternative site for the heroes’ acre.
“We will not attend any Heroes’ Day commemorations as long as that place remains a heroes’ acre,” he said.
“National events should be respected, but as for us we know what that place represents and we can’t force ourselves to be part of that nonsense. We will continue to boycott any government events held there.”
His sentiments were echoed by Matobo South MP Gabriel Ndebele (MDC-T), who said he was once tortured and left for dead at the site during the Gukurahundi era in the 1980s.
“In 2011, I was invited as an MP to the Heroes’ Day commemorations at Balagwe. I said I would not attend. I am one of the victims who passed through this camp. I said I can’t dance at this place with my conscience knowing what the place really represents. This year they invited me again and I refused. I will not go there unless they change the venue,” he said.
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“I don’t like the place because I know what happened there. It pains me, even if I am driving through, no matter how much I try to forget about it, the memories come back into my mind with a flash.
“They should look for another place to establish the heroes’ acre, especially near Maphisa business centre.”
A villager who declined to be named said: “That’s an insult to us as a people. Honestly, how can someone who is not driven by malice set up a heroes’ acre at a place where our relatives were killed and their remains dumped? That heroes’ acre should be removed, if they want us to live in peace.”
Another local from Mabonyane village added: “The camp was notorious for tortures and murders and does not befit to be declared a heroes’ acre or to be used for national events.
“Instead, a monument to commemorate victims of Gukurahundi should be erected there, rather than have it as a heroes’ acre to commemorate those who fought to bring freedom to our country. Most of those people whose remains are there never enjoyed that freedom.”
The call by the villagers followed the granting of permission to a Bulawayo-based non- governmental organisation, which represents victims of political violence, by Matobo Rural District Council to erect a monument at the camp to commemorate the villagers reportedly killed by the army during the Gukurahundi operation of the 1980s.
