Greedy Zapu leaders denied Gukurahundi victims justice

Former top Zapu leaders denied Gukurahundi victims justice as they were 'bribed with positions' in Government, former Bulilima East legislator, Norman Mpofu (MDC-T) has claimed.

According to Mpofu, the emotive  Gukurahundi issue has been hijacked by some elements, with hidden tribal agendas who are now   pushing  to close debate on the atrocities.

 More than 20 000 people in Matabeleland and parts of Midlands where killed in the early 1980s.

Recently,  Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko announced that the government had moved in to assist relatives of the victims to get birth certificates, as part of efforts to bring closure to the issue.

"If the matter was brought up by Zapu, this unhelpful tribal dimension would have been avoided and allowed the issue to be approached objectively and given it a better chance to get justice for the victims.

"The target of Gukurahundi was Zapu, not Ndebeles. Just before the 1980 elections, a lot of Zapu officials and candidates were slaughtered in Mashonaland. Zanu PF was after power and Zapu was the stumbling block.

"Zanu PF quickly realised the central role Zapu could have played in seeking justice for its supporters. It swiftly neutralised Zapu and harvested the top leadership, who were bribed with positions that gave them access to looting and enriching themselves. That literally destroyed any chance and hope for the victims of the Gukurahundi genocide" he told NewsDay publication.

According to Mpofu, Zapu denied Gukurahundi victims justice.

"Currently, it is difficult to raise the issue in a meaningful way. Those who were leaders and some of them, who were directly affected and have the means and capacity to push for justice like Jonathan Moyo are simply not interested, only raising the issue of the murder of his father when it suits his personal circumstances," he said.

Mpofu said the opposition, in its current form, had no capacity to handle the issue.