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Zapu backs Chief Maduna on Petitioning President Mnangagwa to address Gukurahundi issue
16 Dec 2018 at 05:25hrs | Views
The Dumiso Dabengwa led Zimbabwe's oldest opposition party Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu) has declared its support for the Matabeleland elderly chief Vezi Maduna Mafu for petitioning President Emmerson Mnangagwa to address the contentious Gukurahundi masacres issue of the 1980s.
Chief Maduna recently petitioned Mnangagwa complaining over his failure to address the issue where over 20 000 Ndebeles were killed by the North Korean trained Fifth Brigade soldiers at the height of the dissidents who were accused of trying to over throw Prime Minister Robert Mugabe's government.
Zapu spokesperson Iphithule Maphosa said Zapu as a primary target of the 1980s Gukurahundi Genocide stands in full support and defence of Chief Vezi Maduna Mafu of Filabusi and his call for addressing of the issue.
"Before we become into being as different organizations, we are first loyal subjects of our chiefs, who are traditionally responsible for our cultural, custom well being. Our chiefs are the vanguard and custodians of the natural and economic resources at local level," Maphosa said.
"As such, Zapu, as we have always done, echoes the same sentiments in Chief Mafu's letter first to President Mnangagwa as concerns the systematic and institutional marginalisation of certain and particular regions in the country with Matebeleland coming out prominently."
Maphosa said in support and in complementing the Chief, they are calling for an expeditious and sincere implementation of Devolution of Power so that local people chart their own development and be able to make their own priorities as per their needs and aspirations.
"Devolution also speaks top equality and respect of certain rights often violated by the current regime. The mother party also congratulates Chief Mafu for his petition to the United Nations on the highly atrocious Gukurahundi genocide. It is within the interest of justice that the matter is put to rest through implementation of all requisite processes to give closure to it, which is long overdue," he said.
"In the same breath, we call upon the United nations to take the chief's letter with the seriousness it deserves and take all necessary measures to assist NPRC in prioritising and solving the emotive matter."
He said Zapu subscribes to and supports all manners of interventions that will give possible solutions to the emotive matter and this initiative by the chief is just but one of them.
"We will continue calling on the responsible parties to release the results of Chihambakwe and Dumbutshena commissions of inquiry as first step to seriously address the genocide. Lastly, we call the Zimbabwean security sector to order and advise them, especially the Central Intelligence Office to stop the alleged harassing Chief Mafu. We are aware if the intimidatory tactics being played by the CIO in Filabusi. We cannot continue having people's rights to expression violated by a government that is scared of its own people. Hands off the chief," he said.
"Hands off the downtrodden people whose call for recognition in their own country is never a crime but a God given and constitutional right."
Chief Maduna recently petitioned Mnangagwa complaining over his failure to address the issue where over 20 000 Ndebeles were killed by the North Korean trained Fifth Brigade soldiers at the height of the dissidents who were accused of trying to over throw Prime Minister Robert Mugabe's government.
Zapu spokesperson Iphithule Maphosa said Zapu as a primary target of the 1980s Gukurahundi Genocide stands in full support and defence of Chief Vezi Maduna Mafu of Filabusi and his call for addressing of the issue.
"Before we become into being as different organizations, we are first loyal subjects of our chiefs, who are traditionally responsible for our cultural, custom well being. Our chiefs are the vanguard and custodians of the natural and economic resources at local level," Maphosa said.
"As such, Zapu, as we have always done, echoes the same sentiments in Chief Mafu's letter first to President Mnangagwa as concerns the systematic and institutional marginalisation of certain and particular regions in the country with Matebeleland coming out prominently."
Maphosa said in support and in complementing the Chief, they are calling for an expeditious and sincere implementation of Devolution of Power so that local people chart their own development and be able to make their own priorities as per their needs and aspirations.
"Devolution also speaks top equality and respect of certain rights often violated by the current regime. The mother party also congratulates Chief Mafu for his petition to the United Nations on the highly atrocious Gukurahundi genocide. It is within the interest of justice that the matter is put to rest through implementation of all requisite processes to give closure to it, which is long overdue," he said.
"In the same breath, we call upon the United nations to take the chief's letter with the seriousness it deserves and take all necessary measures to assist NPRC in prioritising and solving the emotive matter."
He said Zapu subscribes to and supports all manners of interventions that will give possible solutions to the emotive matter and this initiative by the chief is just but one of them.
"We will continue calling on the responsible parties to release the results of Chihambakwe and Dumbutshena commissions of inquiry as first step to seriously address the genocide. Lastly, we call the Zimbabwean security sector to order and advise them, especially the Central Intelligence Office to stop the alleged harassing Chief Mafu. We are aware if the intimidatory tactics being played by the CIO in Filabusi. We cannot continue having people's rights to expression violated by a government that is scared of its own people. Hands off the chief," he said.
"Hands off the downtrodden people whose call for recognition in their own country is never a crime but a God given and constitutional right."
Source - Byo24News
