HUMAN remains believed to date back to the liberation struggle and the Gukurahundi period have been discovered at disused mines in Jena, Silobela.
The remains were found in the Mkambeni area under Chief Malisa, prompting local leaders to call for an immediate halt to tribute mining activities pending a formal investigation.
Silobela ward 20 councillor Maqhawe Moyo told Southern Eye that tribute syndicate miners operating within the Jena Mines lease area uncovered the remains.
He said community elders had long believed that victims of both the liberation war and the Gukurahundi era were disposed of in two mines in the area.
“During the liberation struggle, white people were killing black people and throwing their bodies in those mines. Also, some bodies were thrown into the mines during Gukurahundi between 1983 and 1987,” Moyo said.
“We already knew that these mines were mass graves. Now the tribute syndicates are mining there, and the bones are coming out.”
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He said more than 30 people might have been buried in the mines.
Moyo said local leadership, including traditional leaders, had approached the miners and requested suspension of operations to allow consultations with mine owners, but the request was ignored.
“We warned them about what would befall them if they continued mining. We advised them to call their bosses so we could have a one-on-one meeting to pave the way forward,” he said.
“They ignored our proposal. This was caused by some members within the community who misled the miners to disrespect the headman and the councillor’s advice.”
Moyo said police attended the scene after bones were uncovered and collected some of the remains. He said the ad hoc recovery risked damaging evidence and disrespecting the dead.
“We are concerned because it is not safe for people to just remove unknown bones and have them scattered everywhere,” he said. “The police then took the few bones they discovered.”
He called for a coordinated exhumation process involving authorities, mining operators and local leadership.
Efforts to get a comment from Midlands provincial police spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko were unsuccessful as his mobile phone was unreachable.
Meanwhile, pressure group Ibhetshu LikaZulu has called for an independent forensic investigation following the discovery of human remains believed to be linked to Gukurahundi atrocities.
In a statement issued on Friday, the group said preliminary observations suggested the remains belonged to four individuals whose hands were allegedly bound with wire.
“The circumstances surrounding the deaths and the location were consistent with accounts of killings during the Gukurahundi period in Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands during the 1980s,” the statement read.
Ibhetshu LikaZulu said police later removed the remains from Loreto Police Camp, also known as Roma.
The organisation called for independent forensic and DNA testing to establish the victims’ identities, cause of death and estimated time of death.
“The remains must be subjected to independent forensic and DNA analysis through transparent processes and institutions,” the group said.
It also called for preservation of evidence, public accountability over the handling of remains and notification of families if identities are confirmed.
The discovery adds to ongoing efforts in Zimbabwe to locate, identify and rebury victims of pre- and post-independence political violence.