Zimbabweans should engage in dialogue to find closure to Gukurahundi

ACTING President John Nkomo says Zimbabweans should engage in dialogue to find closure to post-independence political disturbances in the Matabeleland and Midlands provinces, commonly known as Gukurahundi.

Cde Nkomo, who chairs the Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration, said they were talking to various interest groups to come up with a lasting solution to political violence.

He however, said Gukurahundi was declared a closed chapter by the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo while President Mugabe described it as a "moment of madness that was regrettable".

But, the issue is now being used to gain cheap political mileage in Matabeleland by some political parties and the West.

"The way to bring closure to Gukurahundi is by engagement to discuss such issues, but quite often, those who talk about it were never victims or were born yesterday and are too young to comprehend what happened and why. President Mugabe came to Bulawayo when we were over that period with the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo and we all went to Brethren-In-Christ Church here in town and he said it was a moment of madness.

"They agreed with Umdala uNkomo that it should be a closed chapter. It was indeed a regrettable pe-riod in our country and people must engage and as the Organ on National Healing, our task is to say how it can be handled because fires are being fanned," he said.

Cde Nkomo said it was important for people to handle the topic in a manner that would not open old wounds.

He said people must be made to appreciate that in any political situation, people might lose their lives.
"Look at the years we spent in Gonakudzingwa Prison during the liberation war and there are thousands of people who went to war and never returned so who will compensate them for losing their lives?

"We have to accept that where there are human tribulations, such things happen. Let's engage to build a better present and a better future and always remember that what happened is history and we can't reverse it."

He said the Organ on National Healing was talk-ing to traditional leaders to help people come to terms with what happened in areas where Gukurahundi was still a burning issue.

"The problem is that we now have violence all over the place. We used to have inter-party violence, which has since gone down. Now we have the problem of intra-party violence where people of the same party fight each other. We have violence in churches where Christians chase and beat up each other. Violence in bottle stores where someone is beaten for whatever reason and then goes to the police to say he was beaten up for political reasons and there is also violence in football.

"So we will talk to traditional leaders to look after their people, churches to look after their flock and parties to look after their supporters and football clubs the same. There is even domestic violence that we have to deal with and we will also identify other interest groups that require attention and we will also engage them," he said.

Cde Nkomo urged political parties to play their part as stipulated in the Global Political Agreement to preach tolerance.

He said political violence experienced over the years was a result of tension and mistrust among people.

He said when whites invaded the country and took over land and cattle from the people, they created disharmony and anger in communities and that led to the Umvukela WamaNdebele of 1896 and subsequently the protracted liberation struggle that brought independence in 1980.

"As the Organ of National Healing we had to look at the root cause of violence and we had to assess and analyse the environment. The problem we have is that we have tension in the country and that tension dates back to the days when Rhodes and his friends invaded our land. People are just angry and they can't discuss and debate different views without the eruption of violence."

At independence in 1980, President Mugabe promoted unity and reconciliation, but because there was no time to counsel freedom fighters who were suspicious of each other, tension rose.

This was evidenced by skirmishes at Entumbane in Bulawayo between former Zipra and Zanla forces.

"But we are satisfied with the progress made by the Organ on National Healing so far because all we want is for people of Zimbabwe to understand that they are all Zimbabweans and they have a responsibility to build a better future.

"As old as I am and as old as the President is, what we are thinking of all the time is what kind of country are we going to leave behind when our time to go comes, and we don't want to leave tension, anger and suspicion among our people."

Cde Nkomo also spoke on feelings in Matabeleland that some cadres from the region like the late Thenjiwe Lesabe were overlooked when it came to national hero status. At the time of her death, Lesabe had crossed the floor to Zapu.

"I am going to be specific here although at my level I don't want to be discussing individuals but issues at a national scale. What happened with the case of Umama ULesabe was that no one made a request to the party for her to be declared a national heroine as per procedure."