Zimpapers Logo

Heroes Association of Zimbabwe to help them in the exhumation of remains of freedom fighters in Mt Darwin.
Group chief executive officer Mr Justin Mutasa handed over the protective clothing to Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu, who in turn handed it over to the association on Tuesday.
The items include gloves, helmets, gumboots and work suits.
“Zimpapers has donated this protective clothing to you so that you use it in your great work,” Minister Shamu said.
He urged the rest of the nation to emulate Zimpapers.
Chief exhumer, Cde Jimmy Motsi, said their work was sometimes risky as they were exposed to dangerous chemicals and conditions.
He said for the past few years, they had been carrying out their work without adequate protective clothing.
To date, the remains of more than 480 freedom fighters killed and buried in Chibondo mineshaft in Mt Darwin during the Second Chimurenga have been exhumed.
The exhumations started last week.
It is estimated that more than 700 free-dom fighters and civilians were killed and buried in sacks soaked with sulphuric acid in the shaft, which is 32km outside Mt Darwin Town.
Some of them were reportedly buried alive.
Most of the remains are of people from Manicaland, Mashonaland provinces and Masvingo.
The association conducted its first exhumation in 1980.
It was that of Kunzwana Chifamba, whose Chimurenga name was Tafire-nyika Chimurenga, at Chesa in Rushinga.
His remains were reburied in his home area of Musikavanhu in Chipinge.
Since then they have exhumed the remains of over 1 500 people in addition to identifying at least 2 000 individual and 218 mass graves.
Of the 218 mass graves, seven are in Masvingo, 46 in Mashonaland East, 72 in Mashonaland Central, 48 in Manicaland, five in Midlands, seven in Matabeleland South, six in Harare, 23 in Mashonaland West and four in Matabeleland North.