Tsholotsho Gukurahundi victims demand apology

A survivor of the Gukurahundi massacres, Hlanganiso Sithole (76), from Sikhale line in Tsholotsho district, has shared the harrowing memories of the torture he endured at the hands of the Fifth Brigade in the 1980s. His story, like that of many others, is one of pain, loss, and a relentless demand for justice and accountability.

Sithole vividly recalled the tragic events of June 1984 when soldiers came to his family homestead, accusing him and his brothers of being dissidents. While they were interrogated, one of his brothers, Oscar, went to the toilet. Upon his return, the soldiers turned their attention to him, accusing him of being a dissident.

"They started firing immediately," Sithole said, choking back emotion. "My three brothers were killed instantly, and I survived by the grace of the Lord. It felt like I was in a dream, but it was God's hand at play that kept me alive."

Sithole, along with other survivors, is among those demanding an apology and compensation for the suffering they endured at the hands of the Fifth Brigade, the notorious military unit deployed to suppress alleged insurgencies in Matabeleland and Midlands during the early 1980s.

In July 2024, President Emmerson Mnangagwa officially launched a Gukurahundi outreach programme in Bulawayo, with plans for chiefs to lead the process of addressing the trauma. However, the programme has failed to gain traction, with no funding allocated to date, leaving survivors like Sithole feeling abandoned by the government.

During a visit to Tsholotsho this week, Southern Eye on Sunday spoke with villagers who remain haunted by the events of the massacres. Many survivors continue to grapple with the emotional scars left by the violence, which included torture, rape, and widespread killings.

One elderly woman, who wishes to remain anonymous for her safety, recounted a brutal attack by the Fifth Brigade. "They tortured my husband and left him for dead," she said, her voice trembling. "They found me in a maternity dress, given to me by my daughter who had just given birth. One soldier tried to spear me, accusing me of bearing a dissident child, but his colleagues stopped him. Later, he came to my hut every night to rape me."

The woman's husband succumbed to the injuries from the torture, leaving her with both physical and emotional scars that remain to this day.

Sithole, like many others, is calling for compensation for the wrongs they endured. "I am an innocent man, and I need compensation for the pain we went through," he said, emphasizing that justice must be served before it is too late for those affected by the massacres.

The Gukurahundi massacres, which took place between 1983 and 1987, are believed to have claimed up to 20,000 lives, though no official death toll has ever been established. The Fifth Brigade, a unit trained by North Korean military instructors, was responsible for widespread atrocities, including extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations. At the time, Mnangagwa was Zimbabwe's State Security Minister and is widely accused of having orchestrated the violence.

As survivors grow older and their calls for justice intensify, they continue to seek both a formal apology and compensation for the horrors they experienced, hoping that the government will finally take responsibility for the atrocities of the past.