Liberation War Remains Discovered in Hippo Valley Mine

Human remains believed to belong to Zimbabwe’s liberation war fighters, along with rifles, grenades and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, were discovered this week in an abandoned mine shaft at Dreamgate Mine in Hippo Valley, officials said.

The finding, 45 years after independence, has prompted calls for government resources to identify the dead and provide them decent burials.

Enock Shonhiwa, director of Dreamgate Mine, said workers uncovered the remains at the bottom of a 20- to 30-meter-deep shaft.

“We started discovering human bones, skulls and clothes,” Shonhiwa said.

“We alerted the police immediately.”

Masvingo provincial leaders, war veterans and traditional chiefs visited the site on Monday to assess the discovery.

A war veteran, speaking on condition of anonymity, linked the remains to the 1970s bush war against Rhodesian forces.

“This mineshaft looks like an abandoned one from many years ago,” he said.

“It reminds us of how heartless the Rhodesian forces were. The guns discovered are the same type we used during the liberation struggle.”

The weapons included four AK-47 rifles, two rifle grenades, an assortment of grenades and 200 live rounds of ammunition for light machine guns.

Another veteran appealed for funding to investigate further.

“What we saw here is sad,” he said.

“To think these people’s remains have been in this shaft for 45 years or more. We want resources from the government so we can engage communities and traditional leadership to learn more about this incident.”

Chief Tshovani echoed the sentiment.

“The fallen heroes and heroines of this land should be properly buried,” he said.

“That is the least we can do to honour the sacrifice they made for our country. After everything is done here, these people must be buried decently.”

Lovemore Mandima, director of the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe’s southern region, confirmed the find and outlined the next steps.

“We need a systematic approach to confirm the nature of the site,” Mandima said.

“This includes mapping, oral interviews with communities dating back to the liberation struggle, to reconnect information and determine the circumstances.”

The discovery aligns with a government program to honour fallen heroes by immortalising shrines across the region.

Ezra Chadzamira, Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, said officials met at the site to plan implementation.

“The police, the army and the NMMZ are involved,” Chadzamira said.

“We aim to ensure they get decent burials, in line with the government’s program to honour the fallen heroes and heroines of the liberation struggle.”

Zimbabwe, which gained independence from white minority rule in 1980, still seeks the remains of numerous freedom fighters for reburial.

The Hippo Valley site, in the arid southeast near the South African border, was a known area of guerrilla activity during the war.