Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs Obert Gutu, who is also Chisipite senator, has attacked the ongoing exhumation of the remains of suspected liberation war fighters in Mt Darwin by a group of war veterans as a “convenient discovery” meant to score political points.
Addressing a Mass Public Opinion Institute lecture on the resurgence of political violence in Zimbabwe, Gutu said the timing of the discovery of wartime mass graves was suspicious especially considering that the country was heading for a general election.
Gutu claimed the remains being exhumed looked too fresh to be considered as those of the victims of Ian Smith’s regime. He dismissed claims that the bodies could have been dumped in the mineshaft 32 years ago.
“I strongly suspect that those human remains are of MDC-T supporters and other political activists who were murdered from 2000 up to 2008,” said Gutu.
“Further, I am convinced that Zanu PF conveniently did not involve archaeologists and pathologists during the exhumation process for the simple reason that they did not want the truth to be exposed,” Gutu said.
He said without the involvement of specialists like pathologists and archaeologists, as well as appropriate technology to carry out the exhumations and DNA tests to determine the cause of death and identity of the victims, it was baseless for anyone to claim they were remains of victims of atrocities of the Smith regime.
“Their (Zanu PF) track record in distorting the facts of history and making ‘heroes’ out of downright crooks and other nefarious characters is legendary. It is regrettable that Zanu PF sought to whip up people’s emotions without carefully considering the glaring loopholes in their story regarding when and how those unfortunate people died. This type of sterile propaganda has got no takers,” he said.
Gutu said this was a ploy to shore up the waning fortunes of Zanu PF, which he described as a political party in terminal decline.
