The Financial Gazette

Discovery of Edison Sithole’s remains raises family’s hopes

Zivisai Chagaka, Staff Reporter

AS the mystery surrounding the abduction and disappearance of one of Zim-babwe’s pioneering nationalist luminaries — Edison Sithole — unravels, the family of his young secretary, Miriam Mhlanga, is now hopeful that the remains of their missing member could finally be found also. In an interview with The Financial Gazette earlier this week, Miriam’s elder sister, Maudie Shumba (nee Mhlanga), said the Mhlanga family had received the news with enthusiasm.
“We had exhausted all efforts to find her; we had actually given up hope of ever finding her. But it’s now good to hear that Sithole’s remains have been found; if that’s the case, then that gives us a glimmer of hope that our dear sister’s remains will also be found,” said Shumba.
Miriam was only 16 years old when she disappeared.
The Mhlanga family believes that Miriam’s disappearance was a “plot” to get rid of the two for reasons which Shumba felt was not at liberty to discuss though she hinted that these did not involve the political power plays of the mid-70s within the nationalist movement.
She narrated how, after the country attained independence, their mother and brother, Samson, even visited the late vice-pPresident Simon Muzenda to seek assistance, but “got no joy”.
The mother passed away in July 2002. She said their father had died in September 1970.
“We travelled the length and breadth of this country in search of her, but to no avail. We even engaged Amnesty International after we got wind that she might have been taken to Robben Island (in South Africa), but we were informed that she was not there,” Shumba said.
Shumba, who is the eldest in the family, said Miriam was the last born in the family of eight – six girls and two boys.
At the time of her death, Miriam was staying in Mbare at 17 Mzengeli Street.
Irked by the abduction and disappearance of his sister, one of the boys — Harry or Netsamoyo, who was born before Miriam — left the country a few months after to join the liberation struggle.
When Harry came back from the war, he retired from the army and was incorporated into the civil service until his death in 1982.
“He joined the struggle because he wanted to do away with the system that had taken his sister away,” said Shumba.
“We don’t know why our sister was taken away . . . She wasn’t involved in political activities, but was only a secretary in Sithole’s legal office,” she queried.
Asked what the family was planning to do, an emotional Shumba said since they had learnt of the new developments in the press, “we are yet to discuss the issue as a (whole) family and consider what we need to do next”.
According to Shumba, the information they so far managed to gather was that Sithole and Miriam were taken away from the Ambassador Hotel in Harare separately.
“Miriam was left waiting in the car while Sithole went into the hotel for a meeting. She was approached by two men who told her to come with them. She protested, but the men said they had been sent by Sithole and she complied.
“One of the men remained behind waiting for Sithole at the entrance while she was driven away in a van to charge office (now Harare Central Police Station). And when Sithole emerged from his office, there was another van waiting outside the hotel.”
Shumba said the man who was waiting outside then accosted Sithole and, again, drove him away to the police station. His vehicle was also driven to the police station. “Given the circumstances, Shumba,” said, “We have always believed that they were taken to different places.”
Meanwhile, the Fallen Heroes Trust — a group composed of mainly war veterans who have dedicated themselves to identifying, exhuming and reburying of fallen freedom fighters — claims that the two were dumped at the same place.

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