The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has confirmed the arrest of four people in connection with the desecration of 380 graves and corpses at Restland Memorial Park in Rianham, Harare.
ZRP spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi revealed that Edwin Muronzi, Tinashe Chiguma (32), Moses Gwanya (19), and Kudakwashe Humure (21) were apprehended for their involvement in violating graves and human remains between 2015 and 2024.
It is alleged that the suspects, working as gravediggers, excavated existing graves to make space for new burials.
They reportedly removed human skeletal remains, packed them into empty cement bags, wrapped them in burial clothing, and then disposed of them in a trench or dam located behind the cemetery. Reads the statement:
<blockquote>
ARREST OF FOUR SUSPECTS FOR MASSIVE VIOLATION OF 380 GRAVES AND CORPSES AT RESTLAND MEMORIAL PARK, RAINHAM, HARARE.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirms the arrest of Edwin Muronzi, Tinashe Chiguma (32), Moses Gwanya (19) and Kudakwashe Humure (21) in connection with the massive violation of approximately 380 graves and corpses at Restland Memorial Park, Rainham, Harare between 2015 and 2024.
On 04th December 2024, police arrested Tinashe Chiguma after he made a report that he had been experiencing visions of dead people requesting to know the whereabouts of their relatives.
Tinashe Chiguma implicated his employers, Edwin Muronzi, Moses Gwanya and Kudakwashe Humure, leading to their arrest.
Investigations by the Police revealed that Edwin Muronzi employed grave diggers at the cemetery including the suspects and others who are on the run and paid them between USD 15.00 and USD 20.00 per every grave.
The grave diggers allegedly received instructions from Edwin Muronzi to dig the graves to pave the way for new graves and subsequent burials.
In the process, they would come across human skeletal remains which they would pack in empty cement bags before wrapping them in clothes used during burial and disposing them in a trench or a dam behind the cemetery. They would also dispose of the traditional artefacts buried with the bodies.
Edwin Muronzi and his team would then resale the graves to new clients to bury their late relatives without suspecting anything after cleaning and rearranging the used graves.
A team from Zimbabwe Republic Police including Forensic Science is conducting investigations with the view of identifying the graves which were tempered with, to identify the bodies through their relatives and the whole area where the illegally exhumed bodies and artefacts were being dumped.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police is appealing for information which may lead to the arrest of the outstanding suspects only identified as Kevy, Shumba and Dread.
Anyone with information to contact the National Complaints Desk on (0242) 703631 or WhatsApp on 0712 800 197 or report at any nearest Police Station.
</blockquote>
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Pindula News

Four people in Zimbabwe have been arrested for breaking into graves and taking the bodies out. They dug up around 380 graves! The police caught them because one of them said he saw dead people asking for their relatives. The suspects took the bones, put them in bags, wrapped them in clothes, and threw them away. They then sold the graves to new people without them knowing what had happened. The police are still looking for more suspects involved in this crime. They want people to tell them if they have more information.

Four Arrested For Violating 380 Graves And Exhuming Corpses At Restland Memorial Park

More than 40 undocumented burials were conducted by apostolic communities in Hurungwe, with the graves turned into sweet potato and tomato beds, a report claims.
A report presented by the Mashonaland West medical director, Dr Celestino Dhege, during the Government’s provincial heads meeting held in Chinhoyi recently, shows that over 40 secret burials were conducted in Hurungwe District.
This has been happening in Maronda/Mangate, Shumba, Village 5, Chakaraya and Dzokamushure Villages.
The report says villagers have been seeing vegetable gardens and beds sprouting each morning unaware that underneath the fertile soils lies a dead child denied medical attention. Said Dhege (via <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/sect-conceals-40-graves-under-sweet-potato-beds/">The Herald</a>):
<blockquote>
We are told that over 40 secret burials were conducted in the Hurungwe area, where parents would then plant sweet potatoes and tomatoes on top to conceal evidence of their bad acts. Investigations are ongoing and we will get to the bottom of this.
As a province, we are working towards giving the communities knowledge regarding the dangers of various diseases that the nation faces.
My office was briefed by health officials that in the Hurungwe area, where these deaths and secret burials occurred, there was an outbreak of diarrhoeal diseases, mumps and measles.
</blockquote>
Dr Dhege added that a household in Ward 22 had lost children aged 12, nine, seven, three, one and half years within a short space of time.
He called on lawmakers to enact laws that protect children from parents who shun modern medicine amid revelations that many were succumbing to measles, cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases.
Wards 4 and 22 of Hurungwe Rural District Council were the most affected by cases of mumps and measles.
Dr Dhege said it was high time punitive measures were put to deter would-be offenders to protect the children. He said:
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On a sad note, apostolic (Marange) communities hide these incidents.
Where we have outbreaks like cholera and measles, some apostolic members bury their children at night after denying them access to medical care.
To conceal the horrendous act, they plant sweet potatoes on top of the graves.
To them, the death of a child is not as significant as we think. They believe children are like bricks, more will be moulded.
</blockquote>
A 23-year-old mother, Tariro Gambe, was recently divorced by her husband, disowned by her parents and de-churched by the sect after she sought medical attention following the death of her nine-year-old child in March this year.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Apostolic Sect Conceals 40 Graves Under Sweet Potato Beds

<h2>Statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage in response to a report on “the destruction of graves” in the Mt. Hampden area to pave the way for the Cyber City Development Project:</h2>
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13/03/2024
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage has noted with concern a social media article attributed to one Mr Eugene Majuru alleging that graves are being destroyed in the Mt. Hampden area to pave the way for the Cyber City Development Project. In the same article, Mr Majuru alleges that no consultations were done with traditional leaders, particularly of the Mbari Clan.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage wishes to advise the public and all the concerned stakeholders that wide consultations have been conducted with all parties concerned and some are still ongoing.
In doing so, the Ministry is strictly guided by the relevant legislation and traditional customs deserving of such a process.
For the record, all ancient graves are protected by both National Museums and Monument of Zimbabwe Act Chapter 25:11 and recent graves by the Cemeteries Act Chapter 5:04.
The two acts complement each other legally in the protection of such ancestral places of value. The Cemeteries Act Chapter 5:04 Section 26 stamps the protection of tombs or monuments as indicated below:
“Any person who wantonly or willfully destroys or does or cause to be done any damage, defacement or disfigurement to any monument, vault, tombstone or grave whether within or without a cemetery, or to any building, erection, railing, fence, tree, shrub, plant, thing or natural object, adjoining, connected with or relating to any such monument, vault, tombstone, or grave, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level five or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or to both such fine and imprisonment.”
The cemetery in question is mostly composed of remains of former farm workers. The majority of graves are known and their relatives have come forward to identify them.
The Ministry through NMMZ continues to widely consult with other stakeholders. The Mount Hampden area falls under Chief Zvimba whom the Ministry through NMMZ has again fully consulted.
Whereas the Ministry acknowledges the historical existence of claims of other clans who inhabited the Greater Harare area such as Mbari, Gutsa, Hwata and others, their legal and traditional status rests with other government departments and cannot be the subject of the current project.
As this project is being undertaken, developers have been made aware that should any grave be discovered during construction, the developer should stop and engage an archaeologist or curator of cemeteries who is qualified to categorize the graves and advise on the appropriate action such as exhumation to pave way for works to continue.
While the Ministry of Home Affairs recognizes that it is a constitutional right of every stakeholder to raise issues of concern about development, these should be factual and not based on hearsay.
The Ministry remains available for clarification regarding the exhumations and reburials of those buried in Mount Hampden.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Government Speaks On Mt Hampden Graves | Full Statement

Church leaders have condemned the desecration of Zinyengere Cemetery in the dormitory town of Epworth by sand poachers.
Reports indicate that several graves at the site have been exhumed, with the human remains thrown into the nearby Jacha stream by the sand poachers.
Methodist Church in Zimbabwe (MCZ) superintendent for Epworth Circuit, Reverend Josias Mudenda, said:
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I have gone to the graveyard many times to bury fellow church members, only to see what is happening there. It is an eyesore.
The Bible even says graveyards are sacred places. In the Bible, Nehemiah said he could not rest while the place of his fathers’ graves lies waste and the gates are consumed by fire, showing the respect he had for the dead.
I believe that graves should be walled and gated. The local authority needs to work with the community to protect this site.
</blockquote>
The sand poachers are said to be led by a man only known as Christopher.
Meanwhile, Isaac Chirimba, a senior resident of Epworth, criticised the sand poachers for disrespecting the dead. He said:
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These youths are very disrespectful. What they are doing is taboo. Invading a graveyard to earn a few dollars is unacceptable in our society.
Last month, we went to the cemetery to bury a relative and discovered that some of the graves were missing, much to our surprise.
We were shocked when we found a skull and bones scattered all over the place.
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Another senior citizen, Gogo Hilda Sithole, said the sand poachers have access to the graveyard after vandalising a perimeter wall that had been erected at the cemetery by locals. She said:
<blockquote>
Epworth is my home. I have been here with my family since 1960. We used to bury children in this place you now see as plain ground. There is nothing to show that there were graves there.
This is all the work of sand poachers, who will stop at nothing to get what they want.
</blockquote>
Epworth Local Board secretary Wilton Mhanda conceded that sand poachers were a menace but said the issue has been blown out of proportion. He said:
<blockquote>
Yes, there are sand poachers, but the situation is exaggerated. We usually conduct raids and culprits are brought to book.
</blockquote>
ZRP community liaison officer for Epworth, Sergeant Maliana Davis, said they were not aware of any cemetery invasion by sand poachers. She said:
<blockquote>
As Epworth ZRP, we are committed to duty. The last time council engaged us was, when some people were constructing houses in the cemetery. We worked together well on the matter.
</blockquote>
| <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/no-resting-in-peace-%e2%96%a0-sand-poachers-invade-graveyard-%e2%96%a0-greed-dwarfs-logic">The Sunday Mail</a>

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