Mujuru did not play any part in Gukurahundi: Welshman Ncube

The Standard reports that MDC leader Welshman Ncube told them that the late national hero General Solomon Mujuru did not play any part in the Gukurahundi atrocities that claimed an estimated 20 000 lives in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces.

Government deployed the North Korean trained 5 Brigade soon after independence ostensibly to deal with an insurgence.

But human rights groups say the soldiers targeted supporters of the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo and his Zapu party.

Mujuru was the commander of the army at the time but his close associates say he was sidelined when 5 Brigade was set up and deployed.

"He (Mujuru) refused to let the army be used for Gukurahundi because he had worked with Zipra leaders, the likes of Joshua Nkomo and Dumiso Dabengwa who to him remained comrades in arms," Ncube said.

"He urged that no military action should be taken against Nkomo.

"Even though he was in charge of the army he distanced himself from Gukurahundi that is why the 5 Brigade reported directly to Mugabe."

Ncube added that even when stronger opposition parties like the MDC were formed at the turn of the century the late Mujuru never insulted or condemned the parties verbally or called for their supporters to be brutalised.

General Solomon Mujuru died in a fire on his farm in Beatrice.

One commentator was not pleased by Welshman's comments and we hereby post the comment below:

Comment:

While I agree with you that we have, in our African culture, an adage which says "Afa anaka" (A dead person is all good and righteous) I find it absurd and illogical that a commander of an army would have his soldiers set up into a separate elite unit, trained and then deployed without his knowledge. Even after being deployed, it is unthinkable to suggest that a commander would remain in his position (not resigning) without the control of part of his men.

What you, Hon. Ncube, are suggesting can only be said by a certifiably insane lunatic - to borrow your expression. You are futilely, foolishly, uncleverly and stupidly trying to tell us that the late Gen. Mujuru did not know or did not believe that there were dissidents who were killing and abducting people in Matabeleland and Midlands.

Remember that you can NEVER change history and you SHALL NEVER fool anyone by implying that the army was deployed in Matabeleland and Midlands in pursuit of innocent and unarmed PF-ZAPU supporters, members and sympathisers.

The truth of the matter is that the ZNA, in particular the 5th Brigade, was deployed in the said areas or regions to deal with the terrorist menace that had caused untold suffering to the people through terrorising, killing, rape, abductions and general harassment.

If you had said that Gen. Mujuru was against the deliberate targetting of civilians, I would have agreed with you because this was his hallmark even during the war. That is why all freedom fighters, going or expected to go to the front, were required to perfectly understand the 10 Chimurenga War Commandments; (Kune nzira dzemasoja dzoku zvibata nadzo "There are well laid out ways by which a freedom fighter were supposed to conduct him/herself during the war".)

This was a song that was sung to all of us and, we had to ALWAYS sing this song, either as refugees or combatants, so that should we be deployed in the front, we would FULLY observe the 'Commandments'. We were not only expected to observe these 'Commandments' but were actually supposed to make them part and parcel of our lives during the war. Hence, the 'Commandments' became part of our culture throughout the war of liberation.

They included NEVER to break the rules given - rules of war or rules of engagement (and this included NEVER to wantonly kill innocent and unarmed civilians who did not support us); NEVER to take from the povo by force; to pay for everything that we wanted; to respect the povo as they were the water while we were the fish; NEVER to rape girls or women in general, and many other rules that numbered 10.

Therefore, the late Gen. Mujuru, as one of the first cadres of the war, was fully aware of what he had been taught and what he was teaching his soldiers before independence. Thus, when soldiers were legitimately deployed into two insurgents infested regions, they were still expected to observe the rules of engagement.

This situation was compounded or exacerbated by the fact that we were now operating within the very people we were supposed to protect - our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces and what have you. There was need to be extra careful although it is a fore-gone conclusion that mistakes were bound to be made, thus the President rightly referred to this period as "a moment of madness".

There was need, therefore, to extremely observe those rules and more and this is, I am sure, what Ncube wanted to say and not the hogwash that "no military action should be taken against Nkomo" or that "He (Mujuru) refused to let the army be used for Gukurahundi because..." of bla bla bla. To repeat; no military action was targeted at Nkomo or any other PF-ZAPU leader except those who were directly involved with the dissidents.

What you, Ncube, are saying is nonsense because the few ex-ZIPRA terrorists (initially numbering less than 200) were as much a danger to Gen. Mujuru's life and the peace he was working hard to maintain as they were to all Zimbabweans, including Father Zimbabwe, Dr Joshua Nkomo, Lookout Masuku and Dumiso Dabengwa.