British colonialist Cecil Rhodes’s grave haunts Zimbabweans

Published

3 years ago

March 10, 2023

BY GARSENDE RAMBOURG

MATOPOS – It’s a sacred hill where for centuries Zimbabweans would go to consult their ancestors.

It’s also where the notorious British coloniser Cecil John Rhodes chose to be his final resting place.

The white supremacist died more than 120 years ago in South Africa aged 48 after carving out swathes of territory for the British empire.

Part of the land grab, later named Rhodesia in his honour, included modern Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Nestled in the Matobo National Park, his grave is simple, with “Here lie the remains of Cecil John Rhodes” engraved on it.

Part of the younger generation wants his remains removed to rid the country of the last vestiges of colonialism.

But the grave attracts tourists who bring much-needed income for surrounding villages — and many local people oppose any exhumation.

Located atop a steep hill immersed in lush vegetation, a short climb is necessary to reach the grave, which is surrounded by imposing rocks rounded by erosion.

The stones are covered in light green aniseed and orange lichens that brighten at the slightest touch of the sun.

From the hilltop, visitors gaze at the vast expanse of trees around, where antelopes and warthogs roam.

Clouds roll across the tranquil horizon while birds chirp in the silence.

In neighbouring South Africa, students at the University of Cape Town launched a “Rhodes-Must-Fall” protest in 2015, initially to pull down Rhodes’s statue at the campus.

It later morphed into a global campaign, which saw Oxford University resisting calls to remove a statue of the politician — placing an explanatory panel next to it instead.

Often described as a philanthropist but also an arch-racist, Rhodes dreamt of a British Africa from Cape Town to Cairo, with the blessings of Queen Victoria.

Cynthia Marangwanda (37), from Harare, is enraged by the presence of Rhodes grave.

She believes he chose that site because he knew its spiritual significance to the local people.

It was his “final display of power, a deliberate and calculated act… of domination,” said the activist.

Zimbabwe’s ex-strongman Robert Mugabe, who took the reins from independence from Britain in 1980, saw no reason to remove Rhodes’s remains.

But Marangwanda has been energised by the current president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who “understands the significance, the heritage aspect of the debate”.

Even so, more than five years after Mnangagwa came to power, there is no indication of movement on the issue — or consensus on where the remains would go.

The economic benefits accruing from the tourism, do not hold water for Marangwanda.

“Matobo is such a beautiful landscape, it doesn’t need this colonial grave,” to attract foreign visitors, she stressed.

The presence of the grave in Zimbabwe is an “insult to our very existence as a people,” said historian and co-founder of Rhodes-Must-Fall campaign Tafadzwa Gwini (33).

Exhuming the remains “is a form of reclaiming our identity as a people”, insists Gwini.

Yet some visitors simply don’t understand the outrage around the grave.

“I brought my kids.

“I also came here as a kid,” said a 45-year-old white Zimbabwean, Nicky Johnson.

“History shouldn’t be tampered with. He wanted to be buried here, that’s how it should be”.

Akhil Maugi (28) who lives from nearby city of Bulawayo, shares similar sentiments.

“You can’t erase what happened. No one would come here if this grave was gone,” he said.

Pathisa Nyathi, a 71-year-old local historian, points out that it was “the grandeur of the rocks” that made it a “holy site” that once attracted pilgrims from neighbouring countries.

The “pre-eminent shrine” in the region “was sacred to Africans” but not to Rhodes, said Nyathi.

Opposition MP and ex-education minister David Coltart, who regularly cycles in Matobo park, brings some humour to the debate saying “I must say Rhodes had an incredible eye for real estate”.

Exiting the park, is a roadside market selling T-shirts, woven baskets and carved animals to tourists.

A little further is a village with a few houses.

Micah Sibanda, 82, stands barefoot, leaning on a walking stick, overlooking a few cows.

Rhodes’s grave is “important” to the villagers because it attracts visitors who in turn buy crafts “and we get some money to send our kids to school, …get food and clothes.

After all, Sibanda said, the white visitors are also coming “to pay respects to their own ancestor.” – AFP

Government warns farmers to step up tick control as January Disease threat looms

Published

5 days ago

January 15, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has urged livestock farmers across Zimbabwe to heighten disease surveillance and tick control measures as the 2026 rainy season continues, warning of an increased risk of January Disease (Theileriosis).

In a farmer advisory posted on the Ministry’s official Facebook page, authorities said the tick-borne disease spreads rapidly under warm and wet conditions and can decimate entire cattle herds if not effectively controlled.

The Ministry emphasised that weekly cattle dipping is mandatory during the rainy season, in line with Government policy to curb the spread of the brown ear tick, the primary carrier of January Disease. Farmers were urged to pay dipping levies, ensure correct acaricide dilution as per manufacturers’ instructions, and utilise spray races where possible for improved effectiveness.

In high-risk areas or during active outbreaks, farmers may be directed to follow a 5:5:4 dipping regime, involving more frequent dipping intervals. The Ministry also recommended the use of tick grease on sensitive areas such as inside the ears, the udder and under the tail.

As part of broader prevention efforts, the Ministry said the locally produced BOLVAC vaccine is now available in increased quantities, with farmers encouraged to contact their local veterinary offices to access the vaccine.

Farmers were further advised to conduct daily inspections of their cattle and remain alert to early warning signs of January Disease, which include swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite, breathing difficulties, frothing, watery or cloudy eyes, fever and general weakness.

The Ministry reminded farmers that all suspected cases or sudden cattle deaths must be reported to the Directorate of Veterinary Services within 24 hours, stressing that the movement of sick or tick-infested animals is prohibited as it contributes to the spread of the disease.

Failure to comply with dipping regulations constitutes an offence under the Animal Health Act, with penalties that may include fines or arrest, the Ministry warned.

Farmers requiring assistance or wishing to report suspected cases were advised to contact their local Veterinary Extension Officer or the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.

“Prevention saves wealth,” the Ministry said, urging farmers to take proactive measures to protect their herds.

National

Education ministry launches nationwide one laptop, one iPad per pupil program

Published

2 weeks ago

January 6, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY LWAZI SHOKO

Zimbabwe has launched a nationwide One Laptop, One iPad Per Pupil initiative aimed at bridging the digital divide and expanding access to technology in schools, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Torerayi Moyo announced on X on Monday.

The programme, being implemented in partnership with UNICEF Zimbabwe, will see the distribution of ICT equipment including laptops, tablets and projectors to schools across the country, with priority given to disadvantaged and solar-powered schools.

According to Minister Moyo, the initiative is designed to strengthen digital teaching and learning while promoting inclusive and equitable education. He said the programme seeks to ensure that all learners, regardless of geographic location or socio-economic background, have access to modern learning tools.

“As part of this initiative, I had the honour of presiding over the official handover of a major consignment of ICT devices,” Moyo said, adding that the resources would support the delivery of quality education and help prepare learners for a technology-driven future.

The minister described the programme as a transformative step that goes beyond the provision of devices, framing it as an investment in equity, opportunity and long-term national development.

Moyo also paid tribute to President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, crediting his leadership under Vision 2030 and the Presidential Computerisation Programme for driving innovation and public-private partnerships in the education sector.

“By placing a laptop and an iPad in the hands of every pupil, we are building the digital foundations of a knowledge-based economy,” he said.

Lastly, expressed gratitude to UNICEF Zimbabwe and other development partners for their continued support, noting that the collaboration is key to building a more connected and future-ready education system.

National

Unregulated mining pushes Zimbabwe toward environmental and public health crisis

Published

1 month ago

December 18, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

Zimbabwe is facing a deepening environmental and public health emergency driven by unchecked mining activities, with environmental experts warning that the situation has escalated into a national security concern.

The alarm was raised during discussions aired on recently at CITE, where environmental leaders unpacked the scale of ecological damage unfolding across the country.

Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) Executive Director Farai Maguwu said Zimbabwe’s mining boom has reached crisis levels, fuelled largely by economic decline and the collapse of formal employment.

“Mining has become the default survival strategy for many Zimbabweans,” Maguwu said, noting that widespread job losses and industrial shutdowns have pushed communities toward extractive activities as a quick source of income.

He warned that weak governance has allowed mining to spread into protected and ecologically sensitive areas, despite existing policies that prohibit such activities.

“We are seeing mountains disappearing and rivers being destroyed. Even with a ban on riverbed mining, enforcement has collapsed,” Maguwu said.

According to Maguwu, mining has encroached into UNESCO heritage sites and protected zones such as Mavuradona Wilderness, while areas like Shurugwi and Poterekwa Mountain have suffered extensive damage.

More concerning, he alleged that some law enforcement agents and senior officials are complicit in environmental destruction.

“In places like Penhalonga, elements within the police, military, senior government structures and intelligence services are allegedly part of mining syndicates,” he said, warning that the crisis now threatens national stability.

Maguwu also highlighted the dangers of mining beneath roads and residential areas, which he said could result in catastrophic collapses and flash floods.

“They are creating underground dams in mountains. When these give way, people will be swept away,” he said.

He criticised what he described as a lack of urgency from authorities in responding to the scale of destruction.

“If government is concerned about the future of this country, the current level of environmental damage should be setting off alarm bells,” Maguwu said.

He further explained that the shift from underground mining to open-cast methods has accelerated deforestation, land degradation and loss of agricultural land, undermining food security.

The uncontrolled use of toxic substances such as mercury and cyanide, particularly during the rainy season, has also heightened contamination risks.

“These chemicals are being dumped indiscriminately, with no punitive measures in place,” he said, warning that rainfall washes toxins into rivers, dams and streams.

Maguwu expressed particular concern for rural communities dependent on untreated water from shallow wells, especially in Marange and Matabeleland North.

“People are drinking contaminated water. The long-term health consequences are devastating and still unfolding,” he said, describing the crisis as an “environmental Armageddon.”

Similar concerns were echoed by Nkosikhona Sibanda, Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental and Corporate Accountability Research (CECAR), who said the crisis is nationwide.

In Matabeleland North, Sibanda said mining activity—particularly by Chinese-owned companies—has intensified in areas such as Hwange, Kamativi in Binga, and surrounding districts.

“When communities hear about foreign investment, they expect development. Instead, they are experiencing severe environmental degradation,” Sibanda said.

Studies conducted between 2024 and 2025, he added, revealed dangerous levels of air pollution in Hwange.

“The results were shocking. Air quality is far beyond safe limits, and people are breathing toxic substances daily,” Sibanda said.

Health facilities in affected areas have reportedly recorded a rise in respiratory illnesses and chronic diseases, underscoring the growing human cost of environmental neglect.

“This is no longer just an environmental issue—it is a public health emergency,” Sibanda said.

This report is based on information originally published by the Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE).