The Dead Must Be Sobbing

Mdhara, jump in! Jump in!’ They pushed Mr. Ndlovu and other bemused men and women into it. “Please! Spare him! What has he done? Please, God!” A sobbing and severely beaten Mrs Ndlovu pleaded with them. “Shut up! What have these other randomly-selected people done? You think we`re playing here? You make another stupid shriek, you go in with him!” barked one of the soldiers. This was after the villagers had been rounded up and taken to a bushy area before being thoroughly beaten and ordered to dig up a mass grave. More than fifty villagers were shot dead and buried in that shallow grave. As Mrs. Ndlovu mourned the callous killing of her husband and others, the soldiers ordered her and other survivors to dance and chant slogans in praise of their leader.