News / National
'Churches were given $1,5m to comply with NPRC programmes'
01 Mar 2018 at 07:56hrs | Views
Shalom Project Trust director Anglistone Sibanda has challenged the Mthwakazi Republic Party to prove its claims that the church bodies were given $1,5 million to comply with the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Programmes.
"It is also dangerous for them to spread blatant lies that church bodies have been paid $1,5million to comply with the state program we will demand evidence and should they fail to prove it get them into trouble. I have always warned that amongst ourselves we have unemployed youths who are angry and frustrated who can do anything to vent out their anger and this serves and an indictment to government for its policy of marginalization and systemic exclusion," Sibanda said.
"Concerning the commission, we are clearly unhappy with its composition but fighting it does not solve anything, instead let us fight the appointing authority who sent them. I agree that their strategy is wrong but let us not act barbaric in trying to express our displeasure because at the of the day it benefits the perpetrators."
He said this commission was supposed to have been active in 2013 but 5 years have gone already with government applying a lackadaisical approach to it because those in government are afraid of facing the reality of their past and disrupting meetings benefits government and leave victims still in the same position they have been in for 34 years before some of the youths were born.
"I call for a victim centric, community driven process that is transparent and fair that is underpinned by truth, justice, acknowledgement, healing and reconciliation led by a credible commission that is composed of church leaders, retired judges and some traditional leaders," he said.
"The victims must be able to relive their pain, get justice, mourn their loved ones, access trauma healing support services and get some reparations and above all the region must get compensatory development, be exempt from paid for the illegitimate debt that was accrued by government in 1981 that paid for the massacre of our people, brought inequality, advantaged other regions at the expense of Matabeleland. I call upon the implementation of a devolved system of government to enable us to develop our communities from our local resources.
Our goal must be to work for sustainable or durable peace and development as a nation."
"It is also dangerous for them to spread blatant lies that church bodies have been paid $1,5million to comply with the state program we will demand evidence and should they fail to prove it get them into trouble. I have always warned that amongst ourselves we have unemployed youths who are angry and frustrated who can do anything to vent out their anger and this serves and an indictment to government for its policy of marginalization and systemic exclusion," Sibanda said.
"Concerning the commission, we are clearly unhappy with its composition but fighting it does not solve anything, instead let us fight the appointing authority who sent them. I agree that their strategy is wrong but let us not act barbaric in trying to express our displeasure because at the of the day it benefits the perpetrators."
He said this commission was supposed to have been active in 2013 but 5 years have gone already with government applying a lackadaisical approach to it because those in government are afraid of facing the reality of their past and disrupting meetings benefits government and leave victims still in the same position they have been in for 34 years before some of the youths were born.
"I call for a victim centric, community driven process that is transparent and fair that is underpinned by truth, justice, acknowledgement, healing and reconciliation led by a credible commission that is composed of church leaders, retired judges and some traditional leaders," he said.
"The victims must be able to relive their pain, get justice, mourn their loved ones, access trauma healing support services and get some reparations and above all the region must get compensatory development, be exempt from paid for the illegitimate debt that was accrued by government in 1981 that paid for the massacre of our people, brought inequality, advantaged other regions at the expense of Matabeleland. I call upon the implementation of a devolved system of government to enable us to develop our communities from our local resources.
Our goal must be to work for sustainable or durable peace and development as a nation."
Source - Byo24News
