War vet rises from shallow grave clutching AK 47

remains taken back home for a decent burial.

When the touring group of Zimbabwe's Fallen Heroes Exhumers entered the Chimoio shrine in Mozambique on a hot afternoon last Friday,

 one of the lead exhumers and liberation war veteran Cde Jimmy Motsi, guided the group into performing some solemn rituals.

This was punctuated by remarks imploring the fallen liberation war heroes buried in the mass graves at the revered shrine to manifest themselves through spirit mediums should they wish to have their remains taken back home for a decent burial.

Then shortly afterwards, real life drama started as spirit mediums went into a trance, crying in anguish before bolting out of the shrine through a narrow gate, with five monitoring comrades in hot pursuit.

After running for about two kilometres, one of the spirit mediums stopped, briefly gained his composure and then guided the exhumers to a spot where the remains of one of the freedom fighters were buried in a shallow grave.

On getting to the exact spot, the spirit medium lost his composure and suddenly fell into a trance as he lay on the spot.With the travelling group now encircling the spot where the spirit medium lay, the exhumers' leader Cde George Rutanhire broke into a liberation song: "Soja rababa tora uta iwe."

And speaking through the spirit medium, the fallen freedom fighter buried in the shallow grave identified himself as Cde Lloyd Mzee Mandeya, of Makoni District in Manicaland and having been wearing a pair of khaki trousers with an intact belt, military green T-shirt, shoes, and clutching an AK-47 assault rifle.

Cde Mzee Mandeya had manifested himself through the same spirit medium before while still in Zimbabwe and his family was traced, found and had also been brought to Chimoio.

The fallen hero's elder son, Francis who had travelled to Chimoio was asked to perform some family rituals — which saw him asking his ancestors to prove beyond doubt that the remains were actually those of his father before they were exhumed.

He knelt down, clapping his hands the traditional way, with his wife besides him ululating with her covered head looking down in a submissive way. He recited the litany and praise rituals of the Mandeya clan.

"Shumba, (the Mandeya totem) I am your son Francis, I have come to take you back home after decades of restlessness. How do we know it is you Shumba, how can we be certain, prove it to us," implored the son.

With the spirit medium still in trance, another woman abruptly became possessed, exploding into a strange language and made utterances that were interpreted in the affirmative by a Mozambican woman, who had only appeared from nowhere and was not part of the travelling party.

"Stand up son, this is where your father's remains are," explained the interpreting Mozambican woman.Cde Motsi, then knelt down and started the exhumation.He first came across leather shoes with knobby rubber soles, shin bones, thigh bones wrapped in a khaki pair of trousers with a pinned military belt. He then retrieved the ribs, collar bones, and traced the hands -and on the left, he bumped into a metal object.

After scrutiny Cde Motsi shouted: "He died armed, this is a gun." The heavily corroded rifle was lifted high up with everyone curiously wanting to catch a glimpse.

"He was a true soldier, he was buried with his gun in hand," added Cde Motsi.

But others were quick to warn that the gun could actually be cocked and further advised people to drift away in case there was a bomb planted when the freedom fighter was buried.

It was confirmed that the gun, was indeed cocked.Cde Motsi then excavated jawbones but minus the skull.The spirit medium had narrated the harrowing story of how Cde Mzee Mandeya died a violent and painful death after his head was blown off by a bomb while running away after Rhodesian forces raided and attacked the Chimoio camp where Zanu-PF cadres and refugees were staying during the liberation struggle.

After all has been said and done, Francis was the happiest of all.He said his family had gone through hell in their search for their father's remains.
"It has been a long time with us searching for the remains of our father. We have been scouring parts of the country for the remains of my father who was killed in action to be buried in a decent way.

"I am happy, because we have found his remains, and I am grateful to the exhumers," he said.

The event witnessed in Chimoio is just one of the many, which the Fallen Heroes Exhumers has been doing in the country and a lot of ground has been covered in Mashonaland Central.

Many daughters and sons of Zimbabwe lie buried in unmarked graves both inside and outside the country after failing to get decent burials during the war.