Mnangagwa says the British are hard headed

Q & A:

*HON. SEN. CHIEF MUSARURWA: Thank you Madam President. My question is directed to the Vice President of Zimbabwe. We would want to know what measures the Government has put in place in terms of our ancestors the likes of Mbuya Nehanda, Chingaira, Chiwashira, Mapondera and others, to ensure that their remains are repatriated back to Zimbabwe. In our culture, when a person dies he should be given a proper burial. Also, is compensation from the people who murdered these ancestors going to come concurrently or otherwise?

*THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. MNANGAGWA): Madam President, Moyondizvo the question that you have asked is a difficult one. You named individuals whose skulls are not here, I do not know if that is true, if all of them were taken but there are some names which you mentioned and we do not know that their skulls went there. Some came but the skulls are still to come back. We are still engaging with the Government of the Queen. They admit that they have some of the things but some they do not have. We are not going to sit idle, we will continue searching and seeking that these be repatriated back to Zimbabwe, of which they agreed some of them, they do have.

You also mentioned about compensation for the skulls is not the only compensation we want but we want compensation for the settling of the white settlers here in Zimbabwe over and above the skulls or heads. We also want compensation for the looting that they did from this nation. I am sure if you read the history books, they will inform you that there was a Loot Committee. The white settlers sat down and came out with a board to discuss looting.

All that is evident, those are issues that are discussed and they take time, they are legalistic. They have returned some; the Germans returned some of them and have remained with one. The British are hard headed, we actually had to force them out of this nation. So for us to get the remains of our ancestors that they have, we need to engage them and engage a legalistic approach for us to get our heritage back. The compensation that you mentioned about is broader than what you have mentioned, about the skulls or heads or our ancestors because in our African culture it is not ideal that the body is this side and the head is somewhere else; that is our heritage and our belongings, so they should return them.

What I urge is that you sit down as traditional leaders and come up with a position to support the Government that as traditional leaders you want that resolution for the repatriation of the heads of those ancestors of ours and you take it to the Attorney-General in order for us to expedite the process as well. I thank you.

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