Reconciliation Commission set to start consultations on Friday

The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission begins its nationwide consultations in Gwanda this Friday and says it expects people to come in their numbers to share issues to do with justice, reconciliation and national healing.

The provincial stakeholders' consultations are part of a series of meetings to be held in the country's ten provinces.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently signed the NPRC Bill into law to operationalise the Commission.

In a statement, the Commission said consultations will start in Gwanda and Bindura on Friday.

"The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission would like to advise the nation of Zimbabwe that it shall be conducting targeted stakeholders consultations at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic in Gwanda (Matabeleland South province) and Bindura University Hall in Bindura, Mashonaland Central province) from 8AM to 1PM on 9 February 2018," said the NPRC.

The Commission said the main objectives of the consultations are to enhance stakeholder awareness of the NPRC, its mandate and functions.

It said the consultations will also provide a platform for stakeholders to feed into and shape the strategic priorities of the NPRC and map the local and regional level capacities for peace, healing and reconciliation.

The Commission said the consultative meetings should be inclusive and bring a very diverse set of voices.

The NPRC said political parties, war veterans, women, youth, people living with disabilities academia, business, media, civil society organisations, traditional leaders, church organisations and Constitutional Commissions are invited to send a limited number of representatives to the consultative meetings.

"Persons putting on military or police uniform or political party regalia will not be allowed into the venues of meetings," said the NPRC.

The Peace Commission said the purpose of the national consultations leading to the national convergence platform is to facilitate an informal strategic process.

"While the people have started talking about the difficult and painful episodes in their histories like Gukurahundi, it's this process of consultation that officially gets people to start the process of opening up to shed off the distrust and start a sense of relationship building, demonstrate the Government's real first attempt to opening dialogue and commitment to national healing and reconciliation," reads the statement.

"The consultations will also facilitate an initial process of communities identifying the root causes of conflict in their areas and not just the symptoms. However, it will be very critical for the Commission to manage expectations from stakeholders."

In an interview yesterday, Commissioner Charles Masunungure said the consultations will be conducted in all the 10 provinces during the first three months of this year.

He said the Commission will strive to reach out to all districts.

"Section 252 (c) mandates the Commission to "bring about national reconciliation by encouraging people to tell the truth about the past and facilitate the making of amends and the provision of justice.

Each community in all the 59 districts of Zimbabwe has its own issues of the past that need to be resolved in order for the nation to heal and move forward.

Gukurahundi is one such emotive issues requiring closure.

The Commission will reach out to the entire affected communities yes," he said.

The commissioner said the reports compiled by the Commission will be submitted to Parliament through Vice President Kembo Mohadi who heads the Peace and Reconciliation Commission.