Cecil John Rhodes’ Remains Must Be Exhaumed and Returned to the UK, Says Zim President Emmerson Mnangagwa
- President Emmerson Mnangagwa wants Cecil John Rhodes' remains to be exhumed and removed to the United Kingdom
- Rhodes chose his own burial place, namely the Matobo Hills, which have since been incorporated into a national park
- The Matobo Hills National Park is an ancestral site for the Ndabele people in Zimbabwe as well as a popular tourist destination
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HARARE - President Emmerson Mnangagwa wants Cecil John Rhodes' - who pioneered the colonialism of Zimbabwe - remains to be exhumed from his grave in Zimbabwe and expatriated to his birthplace, namely the United Kingdom (UK).
Cecil John Rhodes chose his own burial place, which is the Matobo Hills National Park near Bulawayo. He was buried there in 1902 and since 2012, different leaders have called for similar actions as Mnangagwa.
"His remains must be returned to where he hailed from and we can also have our ancestral remains which are being kept in Europe," the Zimbabwean president said.
Source: Getty Images
Why Mnangagwa does not want Rhodes' remains in Zimbabwe
According to TimesLIVE, in 2012, Robert Mugabe, the late former president of Zimbabwe, stopped an attempt by veterans of the Rhodesian Bush War to exhume Rhodes' remains. Mugabe's reasoning for not letting cadres from his own party, Zanu-PF, complete the mission is that he believed Rhodes is part of the country's history.
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Rhodes' burial site is currently overseen by the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site is a popular attraction for tourists visiting Zimbabwe, BusinessDay reports.
The burial site is officially called World’s View, but Zimbabweans call it Malindadzimu, which is Ndabele for “burial place of the defied ancestors," representative of the Ndabele people who died there. Many believe that Rhodes' remains are the reason why the area does not receive adequate rainfall.
Reactions to Mnangagwa's request
@ottulab believes:
"It will definitely improve the economy of Zimbabwe."
@Mthunzi_PL said:
"The focus should be on your country. Mugabe once said Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans."
@Anil_Jhb shared:
"Some all over the world are fixated on the past. Probably because they have no credibility in the present. And have no vision for a positive future."
@trevorMokomela remarked:
"People are so hungry that they're fighting dead bones."
@_dannytre said:
"That's interesting, considering that it's a heritage site generating revenue in the Mandebele region, maybe that's the reason."
Bus travelling over capacity from Cape Town to Zimbabwe impounded in Limpopo, 101 passengers on board
In more news about Zimbabwe, Briefly News reported that on 14 December, a bus was impounded in Polokwane, Limpopo after it was discovered that it was carrying 101 passengers when the registered capacity of the vehicle only allows for 61 passengers. The bus had been travelling from Cape Town to Zimbabwe.
Mike Maringa, a spokesperson for Limpopo's transport and community safety department, said that the bus was intercepted by traffic police officers, who then impounded the vehicle.Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya, Limpopo's MEC for transport and community safety, announced the province's road safety campaign for the upcoming festive season.
Lerule-Ramakhanya said that the province's traffic officers will be paying specific attention to public transport vehicles to ensure they are adhering to the rules of the road as well as capacity restrictions.
Source: Briefly News
