For more than a century, Zimbabweans have asked for the return of the remains of those who led the 1896–97 uprising against colonial rule, the First Chimurenga. Families, chiefs and the government have long believed that skulls taken as trophies, including those claimed to be Mbuya Nehanda's and Sekuru Kaguvi's, ended up in British collections. Here is what has been confirmed so far, and what has not.

The UK agreement

In August 2025 The Herald reported that British institutions had agreed Zimbabwe could repatriate First Chimurenga-era remains. The report, later carried by Bulawayo24 and Rwanda's IGIHE, said at least 11 sets of remains were held at the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London. An inter-ministerial committee was set up, and officials said they were consulting traditional leaders and descendants. Zimbabwe's ambassador to the UK, Ambassador Faranisi, was quoted as saying the process was in its first phase, with budget, storage and a formal programme still to be approved. Those reports named Nehanda, Kaguvi, Chief Mashayamombe and Chief Chingaira Makoni among the figures in the preparations. They largely trace back to one state-media account.

What the museums say

In March and April 2026, descendants of resistance leaders wrote to the NHM and the University of Cambridge asking for help to locate their ancestors' skulls, and offered DNA samples, The Guardian, Varsity and The Voice reported. The NHM said it holds the remains of 11 Zimbabwean individuals. It said its research had not linked them to named individuals or historical episodes, and that it was awaiting confirmation from the Zimbabwean government on next steps. Cambridge said its Duckworth Collection does not hold the remains of First Chimurenga heroes.

This is the central gap. Zimbabwean officials have said the London remains are believed to include national heroes. The museum holding them has not confirmed that.

Remains returned from South Africa

In mid-April 2026, Iziko Museums in Cape Town handed back a soapstone Zimbabwe Bird and the remains of eight ancestors, according to Iziko, South Africa's government and IOL. These remains were not identified as named Chimurenga leaders. By early May, National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe said the names were not yet known and that the identification process had begun, The Herald reported.

Still waiting

In 2026 The Herald and Sunday Mail quoted Ambassador Faranisi as expecting a consignment from Europe before Heroes Day in August. Grapevine found no report that it arrived. On 6 August, Chief Chivero told NewsDay that Kaguvi's body lies at the Mhondoro shrine and "we are waiting for his head to return from England."

As of 31 October, Grapevine found no official notice from the government, NMMZ or the NHM giving a date for any return from Britain, although a draft programme for 1 November is circulating (see update above).

Why it matters

For many Zimbabweans at home and in the diaspora, the remains are about more than museum records. They are tied to family lineages, chieftaincies and the history of resistance to colonial rule. Descendants have written to British institutions themselves and offered DNA to help find them. The NHM says it is waiting on Harare, and the South African remains are still unnamed. So identification, not just permission, is likely to decide what happens next.

Sources: The Herald, Aug 2025: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/zimbabwe-granted-authority-to-repatriate-remains-of-first-chimurenga-heroes/ · Bulawayo24 (Sunday Mail), 10 Aug 2025: https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-256190.html · IGIHE, 13 Aug 2025: https://en.igihe.com/news/article/uk-to-return-skulls-of-zimbabwe-s-anti-colonial-heroes-taken-as-war-trophies · The Guardian, 7 Mar 2026: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/07/descendants-of-zimbabwe-resistance-heroes-urge-uk-to-locate-looted-skulls · Varsity: https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/31372 · Iziko Museums: https://www.iziko.org.za/events/repatriation-handover-ceremony/ · SA Government, 15 Apr 2026: https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-minister-gayton-mckenzie-receiving-ceremony-sacred-bird-15-apr-2026 · IOL, 16 Apr 2026: https://iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/2026-04-16-zimbabwean-bird-and-human-remains-returned-a-historic-repatriation-ceremony/ · Zimbabwe Situation (Herald), 3 May 2026: https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/process-to-identify-repatriated-remains-commences/ · Bulawayo24 (NewsDay), 6 Aug 2026: https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-266662.html · ZimEye, 31 Oct 2026: https://www.zimeye.net/2026/10/31/missing-heads-finally-located-and-set-for-flight-to-harare-but-wicknell-chivayos-own-is-not-among-them/

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