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The security breach at Old Bulawayo that resulted in the theft of a prized spear once used by Lobengula, the last Ndebele king, is worrying. We reported on Thursday that the gold-coated 1,2m spear, a 45cm black fly whisk and a small brown clay pot which were placed near the statue of the king were stolen from the cultural heritage site whose custodian is the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ).

Old Bulawayo is the exact site where Lobengula’s palace used to stand before he left it in 1881. It is the first city of Bulawayo that Lobengula built in 1870 before he moved to the general area where present day Bulawayo is, about 22km to the north.

The seat of Lobengula’s authority lay abandoned for decades until the 1990s when the government, working with its partners started to reconstruct it. The site recovered much of its ancient architectural design. A wagon shed was rebuilt together with a house that early missionaries had built for the king as well as the palisade. The iconic beehive huts, eight of them, were built. The rebuilding programme was finished in 1997 but the king’s kraal was razed down on August 24, 2010, in a veld fire.

The NMMZ has in the past faced accusations that it is neglecting the historical site as well as other equally significant places — Mhlahlandlela and Entumbane that house Lobengula’s predecessor, King Mzilikazi’s grave and artefacts. Cultural activists renewed their criticism this week after the Old Bulawayo burglary.

One of King Lobengula’s descendants Prince Zwide Khumalo expressed shock at the break-in and castigated the NMMZ for failing to provide adequate security at the historic site saying royal artefacts deserved to be kept in a more secure place.

“It raises a lot of concerns within the family, the Ndebele speaking people as well as other Nguni ethnic groups whose history was being kept at Old Bulawayo. There is something grossly wrong with the security in the national museums. This is not the first time there has been a break in at the museums meaning there is a weakness in their security system,” he said.

Sources said the caretaker, Stanley Gwebu, discovered that the spear, black fly whisk and clay pot were missing at around 1:45PM on Sunday while conducting his chores. He reported the matter to the police.

It is six days since the theft was detected and police and the NMMZ are carrying out investigations.

We implore the investigators to get to the bottom of the crime and the culprits brought to book. But for the long-term security of the site and the artefacts therein, we look forward to the NMMZ overhauling its security systems and infrastructure not only at Old Bulawayo, but also at other important sites that are repositories of artefacts of historical and social significance.

For us, the burglar did not steal a mere spear fly whisk, or a spear, but part of the history of this nation. Some observers have speculated that the theft was motivated by the gold on the spear, that the criminal wants to smelt and sell it for some undue profit. To us that is most unlikely. Whoever stole the items was motivated by their historical significance. He would not have stolen the fly whisk or a clay pot if indeed the idea was to make quick money through an ordinary transaction. We suspect therefore that the culprit is a knowledgeable person who knows that the gold on the spear is not as valuable as the item’s history.

But we are concerned also that this is not the first time something has been stolen at the same place. About five years ago; there was another break-in which resulted in other artefacts being stolen. We have not heard of any arrests yet.

We are encouraged though that the police and the NMMZ have sprung into action, with its national director, Godfrey Mahachi expected at Old Bulawayo on Monday to get a first-hand appreciation of the matter.

Be that as it may, his department stands accused of not doing much to improve the outlook of Old Bulawayo.

After Old Bulawayo was burnt six years ago, nothing concrete has been done to rehabilitate the site. Some time last year when challenged on what was being done to rebuild the monument, the NMMZ pleaded poverty. Some $50,000 was required for the exercise and donors were not forthcoming, we were told.

That is possible in these economic difficulties but we are not too convinced. We insist that if the department goes all out to engage even locals, $50,000 can be raised in no time to do the work that must be done at Old Bulawayo.