ON June 13, President Emmerson Mnangagwa renamed Zimbabwe Republic Police Tomlison Depot to Chimoio Camp Depot.
He also commissioned a block of flats in a move he said was to complete the dismantling of colonial legacies.
“It is with great honour and a sense of pride that I join you at this momentous occasion to officiate at this ceremony marking the unveiling of the new name of Tomlison depot,” Mnangagwa said.
“This cantonment area will now be called Chimoio Camp depot.”
Chimoio and Nyadzonia are two places in Mozambique used as training camps during the war of liberation.
In fact, they carry a very rich history to this country.
They housed hundreds of sons and daughters of this country who had crossed into the neighbouring country with the intention of receiving military training and subsequently fighting in the war against the Rhodesian Forces.
Many of the country’s sons and daughters perished after they were bombed by Rhodesians at both camps.
Chimoio was bombed in November 1977 in an operation code named Operation Dingo.
Today, the event is remembered as the Chimoio Massacre.
Nyadzonia was attacked a year earlier on August 9, 1976.
Mothers, children, young men — all unarmed — were killed.
Survivors of these massacres say it was by God’s mercy that they live to tell the story.
Today, some shed a tear if they are asked to speak about the events, while others just shake their heads, signalling their displeasure in getting into the details of what transpired.
The suffering was unbearable, they always recall, thus pushing the second republic to rename its institutions with such names with a historical significance.
But as the news filtered to villagers in Mutoko East constituency that Tomlison Depot had been renamed Chimoio, many asked if Mnangagwa knew of Chimoyo and Nyadzonya in ward 14 and 28, respectively.
These are schools named after the two historical sites and had at one point enrolled comrades returning from the war.
“We thought these schools would be given special attention as they have names that remind everyone what happened during the war of liberation,” said Lucy Chirara (64) of ward 14.
“Now that Chimoio is in Harare, our Chimoyo here will remain unknown and underdeveloped. Our wish was to see these two schools being upgraded to better schools.
“In our culture as maBudja, if you name someone after you, you definitely have to give that someone a token. We call it kupfupira or kupfumbidza zita.”
It seems these schools have inherited the suffering experienced in Mozambique.
The villagers felt authorities had never done something meaningful to show how important these schools are to them.
“Surely war veterans from our constituency could have been at the forefront in making sure these two schools are well developed,” another villager said.
“Even those independence galas should have been long held here. We should be having exchange visits.”
It was surprising how some of the common man in Mutoko East are up to date with what is happening in the country as evidenced by Constance, a youth residing in Kanyongoro, who suggested that Mozambican President Daniel Chapo should have visited these schools after officially opening the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo.
“This year, Mozambican President Chapo officially opened ZITF in Bulawayo,” he said.
“If these schools were upgraded, he could have made a brief stopover to appreciate the naming of village schools after historic areas in his country.”
NewsDay Weekender was taken aback when villagers highlighted the struggles these schools are going through.
The secondary school’s signpost suggests that there is no life at all.
Teacher transfers are common as they move to better schools.
At Nyadzonya, the shortage of staff is well felt.
Nyadzonya Secondary School has gone for more than two terms without a Mathematics teacher.
Just like Nyadzonia, which had its bridge blown out when the camp was attacked by Rhodesian Forces, Nyamuzizi river bridge was also washed away by excessive rains in 2023.
Though it was temporarily rehabilitated, villagers feel hard done by the government.
Further down, Nyamuzizi river has caused problems to villagers during the rainy season.
There is a small bridge along the Matedza-Mutoko Hospital road.
In 2023, a truck carrying Zanu PF supporters to Chikondoma Stadium was swept away as it tried to cross the flooded river, leading to the death of a child who was strapped on her mother’s back.
Two other crossing points that need bridges along Nyamuzizi are Kangoza-Chibeta and Gibson-Chidye roads.
While the villagers face such challenges, they overwhelmingly vote for Zanu PF in all the elections.
The Member of Parliament for the area, Richard Musiyiwa, acknowledged the challenges faced by the people from Mutoko East saying there is need for bridges to connect the road network.
“There is need for a bridge to join these two wards,” he said.
“On the issue of when these schools were established, Nyadzonya was established after independence in 1982 and was named after Nyadzonia in Mozambique.
“It catered for resettled farmers in Nyamuzizi and Hoyuyu. Those were the early resettlememt schemes by the government.”
Masiyiwa said Chimoyo school was established in 1964 in Chimoyo village in Mutoko.
“They enrolled comrades coming from the war at these schools. Exchange visits have not been done,” the legislator said.
Masiyiwa said there are plans to make Matedza a technical school that will see the acquisition of skills as the government is promoting Education 5.0.
Meanwhile, villagers wait to see if these promises will come to fruition.
It has been one promise after another by previous MPs such as Richard Katsande, Olivia Nyembesi Mukuna Muchena to the sitting MP Masiyiwa, whose term is already midway if elections are held in 2028.
Maybe it will need the intervention of Youth minister Tinoda Machakaire to tour the constituency, tweet about Chimoyo and Nyadzonya’s idleness and the need for bridges along Nyamuzizi river for the authorities to act.
