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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
GOVERNMENT has started upgrading Pupu site in Lupane into a national museum with work set to be completed before the end of year.

Located about 50km east of Lupane Centre, Pupu is where King Lobengula’s warriors killed 32 of 33 colonial forces led by Major Allan Wilson in 1893, in battle.

There have been concerns about neglect of the place despite its rich history of the Ndebele people.

Locals want the shrine developed into a monument like the Great Zimbabwe monument.

National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe director Dr Godfrey Mahachi said work had already started.

“We have basically revisited the Allan Wilson Memorial now called Pupu where Allan Wilson and his armies who were pursuing King Lobengula were killed by Ndebele warriors. We are reconverting the site to Pupu National Monument so that it tells our own story and history as indigenous people,” said Dr Mahachi.

He said the plan was to erect some structures that can “illustrate our history.”

“We are not destroying the place but we are reintegrating it to interpret the real Ndebele history because that victory of the battle is seldom spoken about yet we hear only about white supremacy,” added Dr Mahachi.

“We are currently putting up all necessary resources to complete the project as designed and we hope to be done before year end. We want the place to start attracting kids, tourists and other people so that it can contribute to social and economic development.”

He could not disclose how much had been set aside for the project.

Lupane East Member of Parliament Cde Sithembile Gumbo, who spearheaded the campaign for development of the site, thanked the Government for responding positively.

“I am happy that Government responded and has allocated resources for the project. Besides fencing the place, we want Pupu to be like Great Zimbabwe and attract people for tourism, jobs, market and cultural history. The place is neglected but we are grateful that government has moved in now to start building,” she said.

Cde Gumbo said the local Khumalos, in whose custody the shrine is under, recommended that stones be used to upgrade a mass grave at the site and also to have the tree under which King Lobengula rested on his journey to the north, fenced.

There are also calls for a statue of King Lobengula to be erected at the shrine. – @ncubeleon