A CONSTRUCTION works at the Mashonaland West Provincial Heroes Acre in Chinhoyi are progressing steadily, with authorities expressing confidence that the first phase of the facelift project will be completed within the targeted 21 days.
With just seven days remaining, key milestones have already been achieved, including the near-completion of four ablution blocks, which are now at the roofing stage.
“We are on course in terms of achieving our targets. We are now at the roofing stage for the ablution facilities and the guard room. This week, we are also going to sink boreholes, erect water tanks, and finish all the internal work. We are also going to install the perimeter fence in the coming week. Phase one is expected to be completed on or before the 21-day target. After that, we commission and begin phase two,” Project Coordinator, Lieutenant-Colonel Tichaona Masanganise said.
Lieutenant-Colonel Masanganise highlighted that the project is not just infrastructural but symbolic, aimed at preserving national memory and honouring liberation heroes buried at the site.
“Places like the Chinhoyi Provincial Heroes Acres carry deep national history as far as the liberation struggle is concerned. These sites are sacred and preserving them is not only a duty to history, but a message to future generations about the price of freedom,” he said.
During an inspection of the ongoing works, Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Dennis Jaricha, Vice Board Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Hunyani Farm, applauded the project’s pace and progress.
“We are committed to seeing through the completion of this project, hoping that it will serve as a torch-bearer to other provinces as to what we should be doing as part of preserving our liberation history,” he said.
The Mashonaland West Provincial Heroes Acre is home to the iconic Seven Heroes National Monument, which honours the Chinhoyi Seven, liberation fighters who participated in the historic 1966 Chinhoyi Battle, a defining moment in the onset of the Second Chimurenga.
The facelift is expected to enhance the dignity and accessibility of the site while ensuring that the legacy of Zimbabwe’s liberation heroes is preserved for posterity.
