Recently, nine graves of victims who lost their lives in a mineshaft collapse during the late 1940s in Penhalonga were exhumed. Their remains were subsequently reburied at Tsvingwe Cemetery, clearing the path for new mining operations.
As reported by the Manica Post, the exhumation occurred on a Wednesday. Chief Mutasa and various government officials, including acting Mutasa District Development Coordinator Tedious Beto, were present to witness the process.
Beto confirmed that all necessary protocols were meticulously followed, ensuring a respectful exhumation process and dignified reburials. He said:
We exhumed three bodies last Friday, four on Saturday and two today (Wednesday), and they are all getting befitting reburials.
The mining company is footing all the costs. All the relevant authorities were consulted and gave the green light to the exhumation process.
From the initial assessment, it was discovered that the graves were dug in the late 1940s and there were no new burials at the cemetery as alleged on social media platforms.
Chief Mutasa rejected claims on social media that the graves were fresh ones, with corpses recently buried being exhumed. Said the traditional leader:
I am disheartened that someone in Harare just wakes up and claims that we are exhuming fresh graves. We are simply giving our departed relatives befitting reburials.
They were not buried in a decent manner when they died in the mine accident. They were accorded paupers’ burials back then.
These were foreign miners from Mozambique and Malawi, and nobody came to claim their bodies.
However, those from Zimbabwe who also perished in the mine mishap had their bodies claimed and were accorded befitting burials.
He said the mine, operated by Cordon Mine, experienced a collapse sometime between 1948 and 1950. Said Chief Mutasa:
After that, they were ordered to stop operations and foreign workers from Mozambique and Malawi who died in the accidents were the ones who were interred here. There are no fresh graves at all.
When the same company came back recently to resume work, they asked for permission to exhume the graves. This was done out of respect for the dead.
The mine also said they intend to establish a processing plant at that site and they did due diligence, to which nobody objected.
We performed our traditional rituals as the people of Mutasa and cleansed the area before the exhumation of the remains and their subsequent reburials.
He said they will perform more traditional ceremonies to cleanse the site in the near future.
A contracting company representing Cordon Mine – Mining Portfolio – is leading the exhumation process.
