By Correspondent
Mutandahwe, Chipinge District – In the heart of Chipinge South, a mine shaft once soaked in the blood of Zimbabwe’s liberation war has become the epicenter of a deeply controversial and gendered struggle—one pitting memory and dignity against profit and patriarchy.
The mine in Mutandahwe village, abandoned since the colonial era, is being reopened by Rio Zimbabwe in partnership with Chinese investors, following a special mining grant. But beneath the ground lie more than mineral wealth: the buried remains of dozens of war veterans, reportedly massacred and disposed of during the liberation struggle.
To facilitate mining, the Fallen Heroes Trust, working under the supervision of the Chipinge District Development Coordinator’s Office, has begun the exhumation of these remains, with support from Chief Garahwa and war veterans’ associations.
While the process is officially described as a “dignified reburial”, many in the community—especially women—are raising serious concerns about the lack of transparency, gender-sensitive consultation, and spiritual accountability.
“We are the daughters, widows, and granddaughters of these freedom fighters,” said Ruth Mavhenyengwa, a local widow. “How can they speak of dignity when we were never called to the table? The land they lie in is sacred to us. Their bones are part of our story, and that story is being stolen.”
Silent Evictions, Gendered Violence
Beyond the desecration of a liberation site, women in Mutandahwe are facing threats of displacement—a shadow war on customary land rights often held informally by women and passed down matrilineally.
Numerous female-headed households report being intimidated by mining agents and local enforcers, with no legal recourse or compensation offered.
“They came to my home and told me to prepare to leave,” said one elderly woman, whose family has farmed the land since before independence. “They said there is no place for ‘grandmothers’ in the future of this village. I was not given a letter, only fear.”
These gendered land grabs, occurring under the guise of economic development, threaten to erase women’s historical role as custodians of land, culture, and collective memory. Women are rarely included in official discussions or compensation frameworks, and customary law systems—often male-dominated—do little to defend their claims.
Mining, Memory, and the Politics of Erasure
The exhumation of war veterans—once hailed as liberators of the nation—is being done without clear documentation, spiritual consultation with female elders, or mechanisms for truth-telling and reconciliation.
> “This is not just a graveyard. It is our heritage,” said Tariro Chisumbanje, a local youth activist. “Our foremothers fed the comrades, sheltered them, sang for them. Now, their stories are being bulldozed without even a prayer. Where is the justice in that?”
The traditional structures overseeing the process have been criticized for excluding women, even as women carry the brunt of the spiritual and emotional labor of mourning, remembrance, and resistance.
> “When men bury, women remember. And when men dig, women cry,” said MaDumane, a local spirit medium. “No development that begins with the desecration of memory will bear fruit.”
Call for Feminist Justice and Accountability
The Chipinge Residents and Ratepayers Trust (CRRT) has issued a public statement demanding gender-inclusive consultations, legal protection for women at risk of eviction, and a moratorium on mining until spiritual and cultural rites are fully observed—with women actively involved.
> “We cannot talk about national healing or economic development while ignoring the rights of women—the same women who fed the war effort, buried the dead, and hold the stories of this land,” said Owen Maoneke, CRRT’s Legal and Communications Officer.
Women’s rights organizations are also urging the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, and human rights bodies to intervene and monitor the process with a feminist lens, ensuring justice, truth, and dignity for the living and the dead.
As gold and copper glisten beneath the soil of Mutandahwe, a deeper question looms: Whose development, at what cost, and on whose bones?