Journalist Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu’s Remains Exhumed in Bulawayo to be Reburied in Harare in Dramatic Hero Redemption!
BULAWAYO — The remains of veteran journalist, historian and liberation struggle stalwart Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu were exhumed from Lady Stanley Cemetery here on Tuesday, paving the way for his reburial at the National Heroes’ Acre in Harare on Thursday.
The exhumation, conducted with full military honours, comes after President Emmerson Mnangagwa conferred posthumous national hero status on Cde Ndlovu, recognising his decades-long contribution to Zimbabwe’s independence struggle, media landscape and cultural documentation.
He died on July 16, 2021, aged 87, from a heart ailment.
Cde Ndlovu’s journey to national recognition was not immediate.
Following his death in Bulawayo, his family and supporters expressed deep disappointment that he was not declared a hero at the time, leading to his initial burial at Lady Stanley Cemetery rather than the national shrine.
Critics, including opposition figures and Matabeleland voices, highlighted what they saw as inconsistencies in the hero declaration process and raised concerns about perceived marginalisation of contributions from the region.
In Parliament, opposition leader Thokozani Khupe questioned the snub, noting Cde Ndlovu’s credentials as one of the early pioneers who left the country to advance the liberation effort.
Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri undertook to investigate.
Family members voiced hurt at the time. Nephew Bulukani Masola described the omission as unfair, stating the family believed hero status was a given given Cde Ndlovu’s sacrifices.
He had received the Liberation and Independence Medal in 2014 among pioneers of the struggle.
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Born Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu on September 23, 1934, at Dombodema Mission in Bulilima-Mangwe District, he trained as a teacher before entering journalism with the African Daily News in the early 1960s amid rising nationalist agitation.
He went into exile in Zambia in 1964, serving as ZAPU’s director of publicity and information until 1978.
In that role, he founded and edited The Zimbabwe Review, a key party publication that disseminated the liberation message. He also authored works documenting the struggle, including collaborations capturing photographs and narratives of the war.
In 1972, ZAPU sent him to the Soviet Union for military training; he later underwent advanced journalism studies in the German Democratic Republic.
After independence, Cde Ndlovu contributed to The Chronicle and Sunday News, held senior roles at Munn Publishing, and edited The Observer in Swaziland.
He later joined the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe, writing for The Dispatch and later The Daily News.
He remained a prolific historian and advocate for indigenous languages, particularly Kalanga, helping push for their constitutional recognition.
His posthumous declaration alongside four others in September 2021, and the formal conferment to his family later that year, addressed earlier oversights. Officials at the time urged patience and praised his contributions.
The reburial on Thursday forms part of Heroes Day commemorations under the theme “Lest We Forget,” alongside other recently honoured veterans.
It marks a belated but formal acknowledgment of Cde Ndlovu’s role as a chronicler of the liberation struggle and a bridge between pre- and post-independence Zimbabwe.
Provincial and party leaders are expected to attend the Harare ceremony.