ILLEGAL miners, popularly known as amakorokoza, are threatening the gravesite of the late former Home Affairs minister and Zapu president, Dumiso Dabengwa, in Ntabazinduna, Matabeleland North province.
The late liberation hero is buried alongside his wife, Zodwa, at Emanxeleni in Ntabazinduna.
Dabengwa died in May 2019 aged 79 in Nairobi, Kenya, on his way to Zimbabwe from India, where had gone for medical treatment for a liver ailment.
His wife, popularly known as MaKhumalo, died of respiratory illness in London on June 15, 2023.
In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, Mabuthweni village head Harvard Phangwana said it was unacceptable that illegal miners were endangering the grave of the late national hero.
“The illegal miners are wreaking havoc here. Several homes are being threatened on a daily basis,” Phangwana said.
“We have reported these cases to the responsible authorities for quite a long time, to no avail — to the extent that they are now threatening the grave of our late national hero.”
He stated that the miners were very violent and mostly came from outside the area.
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“We have had several meetings as traditional leaders trying to bridge this gap,” Phangwana said.
“People are also taking advantage because of the void, as there is no chief at the moment.
“Several fields and homes are threatened. As I speak, there is a family whose grave was destroyed and bones were left in the open.
“The family is having a torrid time trying to make peace with that situation.”
He added: “They are very violent. We suspect there are also insiders playing a role.
“Now that they are threatening the grave of such an important person, the cry is becoming louder.”
He indicated that the community has decided to establish community centres in all gold-rich areas to keep outsiders away, ensuring local communities benefit from the resources.
Sources said the illegal miners mostly operate under the influence of alcohol and were backed by influential individuals who benefited from the chaos.
“Right now, a petition has been signed against one individual who is purporting to be the acting chief and is suspected to be one of the troublemakers making the area ungovernable,” one source said.
Zapu president Sibangilizwe Nkomo urged people to respect sacred areas, especially the graves of fallen heroes.
“We sent some people to check and the findings were that the damage was almost 20 metres away from the gravesite,” he said.
“They have been told to stop their activities by the villagers.
“The government must revise mining laws so that they protect villagers.”
Nkomo also noted that even roads were being damaged, blaming the illegal miners, who are also commonly known as amaShurugwi.
Dabengwa was the head of Zapu’s intelligence department of the military wing, the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (Zpra) during the armed struggle.
In 1982, Dabengwa was charged alongside Zipra commander Lookout Masuku and four others of treason by then President Robert Mugabe's government.
They were acquitted due to lack of evidence in 1983.
On release, they were re-detained under emergency regulations.
Dabengwa was released four years later.
He retired from government in 2000 after serving as Home Affairs deputy minister soon after the 1987 Unity Accord and later Home Affairs minister.
After leaving government, Dabengwa became critical of Mugabe and Zanu PF before leaving the ruling party to revive Zapu in 2008.
In the run-up to the July 2018 presidential and parliamentary elections Dabengwa supported opposition leader Nelson Chamisa for the presidency.
