Zimbabwe govt establishes military cemeteries to bury soldiers

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GOVERNMENT is establishing provincial cemeteries for the military and consultations have been conducted with provincial leaders on how the programme will be implemented.

Military cemeteries are a common phenomenon across the world but this does not mean soldiers are exclusively buried in these cemeteries.

Their immediate families are also buried in the same facilities.

Zimbabwe does not have such facilities and most cemeteries are administered by local authorities.

The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage is in charge of National Heroes Acre and Provincial Heroes Acre where mainly liberation war heroes are buried.

Defence and War Veterans Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said Air Force of Zimbabwe Commander Air Marshal Elson Moyo has tabled a report to Government that will guide the establishment of military cemeteries across the country.

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said this while responding to Umzingwane National Assembly member Cde Levy Mayihlome who wanted to know Government’s position regarding the establishment of the military cemeteries during Wednesday’s Question and Answer session in Parliament.

“I am pleased to report that work on the establishment of provincial military cemeteries is underway,” said Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri.

She said the board that had initially been tasked to conduct consultation work on the programme was affected by the redeployment of the late national hero Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri from Air Force of Zimbabwe to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement in 2017.

“In this regard a new board was convened in 2020 under the chairmanship of the Commander Air Force of Zimbabwe, Air Marshal Moyo. The board had an arduous task of gathering views of all the 10 Provincial Ministers who are critical stakeholders in the programme to secure their views which will be captured in the implementation process,” she said.

“I am pleased to announce that the board recently submitted its report which we are currently studying with a view to implement its resolutions. Very soon we will be engaging the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement counterparts with a request for land for the cemeteries in all the country’s 10 provinces.”

– Chronicle