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21 mothers burned alive during Gukurahundi remembered
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Human rights advocacy group Ibhetshu LikaZulu has issued an emotional tribute to 21 women who were burned alive in Emkhonyeni, Tsholotsho, on March 16, 1983, during the Gukurahundi genocide. The tribute coincided with Mother's Day on May 11 and called for national acknowledgment, justice, and permanent memorialisation of the victims.
The Emkhonyeni massacre remains one of the most brutal acts during the Gukurahundi atrocities, a dark period in Zimbabwe's post-independence history when the North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade carried out a military operation in Matabeleland and the Midlands. Between 1983 and 1987, an estimated 20,000 civilians, mostly of Ndebele ethnicity, were killed. In the Emkhonyeni incident, 21 women were reportedly locked in a hut and set on fire.
Ibhetshu LikaZulu Secretary-General Mbuso Fuzwayo named some of the victims as Sikhangezile Msipha, Deliwe Ndlovu, Concilia Ncube, Sikhathele Ndlovu, Masalu Ndlovu, Senzeni Sibanda, Betty Sibanda, Singatsho Sibanda, Musa Ncube, Elitha Ngwane, and Eva Tshuma. He lamented that these women's names remain absent from the official narrative of the country, their stories buried in silence.
Fuzwayo said the commemorative mood of Mother's Day was deeply contrasted by the pain that the date evokes for survivors and victims' families. He stressed that remembering the loving and nurturing roles of mothers must also include acknowledging the unspeakable violence many endured during state-sponsored brutality.
"On this Mother's Day, Ibhetshu LikaZulu extends heartfelt solidarity and reverence to all mothers in Zimbabwe and across the world," Fuzwayo said. "But for us, this day also brings back painful memories of innocent women—mothers, daughters, and sisters—who were murdered in cold blood. The massacre in Emkhonyeni was a calculated act of extermination, an attempt to erase a generation."
He described the ongoing economic crisis in Zimbabwe as a continuation of state neglect and repression, which has compounded the suffering of women. Fuzwayo noted that despite facing joblessness, inflation, and poor public services, Zimbabwean mothers continue to show remarkable resilience in keeping their families together.
"In the face of spiraling inflation, joblessness, and systemic neglect, Zimbabwean mothers stand as the last line of defense against hunger and despair," he said. "They wake before dawn, search for food, walk long distances to fetch water, endure long queues at under-resourced clinics, and still find the strength to send their children to school."
Fuzwayo condemned the silence surrounding Gukurahundi and what he called superficial reconciliation efforts. More than four decades after the atrocities, there has been no justice, no official apology, and no effort to memorialize the victims. He said the government's gestures toward reconciliation lack sincerity and are more about political optics than addressing historical injustices.
"This atrocity, one among countless others committed during the Gukurahundi genocide, remains unacknowledged by the very government that carried it out," Fuzwayo said. "There has been no remorse. No memorialisation. No justice. Instead, we see attempts to sanitise the past through stage-managed processes that exclude those who suffered the most."
He described the deaths of the 21 women as not only a gross violation of human rights but also a spiritual wound that continues to haunt generations. "Their only ‘crime' was the potential to give birth to more of those whom the regime sought to annihilate," said Fuzwayo. "It was a cruel, calculated act that robbed children of their mothers and condemned survivors to a lifetime of trauma."
Marking Mother's Day, Ibhetshu LikaZulu did more than mourn the past—it issued a clear demand for truth, justice, and national healing. Fuzwayo said Zimbabwe cannot move forward until it fully confronts the legacy of Gukurahundi with honesty and accountability.
"Let this day not pass as mere sentiment," he concluded. "Let it be a rallying cry for justice, dignity, and remembrance. We honour not only the nurturing hands of mothers but the blood of the fallen. We will not forget. We will not be silenced."
The group's renewed call for action comes amid growing pressure on the government to facilitate a transparent, survivor-led process of reconciliation and truth-telling. While President Emmerson Mnangagwa has opened up limited dialogue around Gukurahundi, critics say the state's involvement remains an obstacle to genuine healing.
The Emkhonyeni massacre remains one of the most brutal acts during the Gukurahundi atrocities, a dark period in Zimbabwe's post-independence history when the North Korean-trained Fifth Brigade carried out a military operation in Matabeleland and the Midlands. Between 1983 and 1987, an estimated 20,000 civilians, mostly of Ndebele ethnicity, were killed. In the Emkhonyeni incident, 21 women were reportedly locked in a hut and set on fire.
Ibhetshu LikaZulu Secretary-General Mbuso Fuzwayo named some of the victims as Sikhangezile Msipha, Deliwe Ndlovu, Concilia Ncube, Sikhathele Ndlovu, Masalu Ndlovu, Senzeni Sibanda, Betty Sibanda, Singatsho Sibanda, Musa Ncube, Elitha Ngwane, and Eva Tshuma. He lamented that these women's names remain absent from the official narrative of the country, their stories buried in silence.
Fuzwayo said the commemorative mood of Mother's Day was deeply contrasted by the pain that the date evokes for survivors and victims' families. He stressed that remembering the loving and nurturing roles of mothers must also include acknowledging the unspeakable violence many endured during state-sponsored brutality.
"On this Mother's Day, Ibhetshu LikaZulu extends heartfelt solidarity and reverence to all mothers in Zimbabwe and across the world," Fuzwayo said. "But for us, this day also brings back painful memories of innocent women—mothers, daughters, and sisters—who were murdered in cold blood. The massacre in Emkhonyeni was a calculated act of extermination, an attempt to erase a generation."
He described the ongoing economic crisis in Zimbabwe as a continuation of state neglect and repression, which has compounded the suffering of women. Fuzwayo noted that despite facing joblessness, inflation, and poor public services, Zimbabwean mothers continue to show remarkable resilience in keeping their families together.
"In the face of spiraling inflation, joblessness, and systemic neglect, Zimbabwean mothers stand as the last line of defense against hunger and despair," he said. "They wake before dawn, search for food, walk long distances to fetch water, endure long queues at under-resourced clinics, and still find the strength to send their children to school."
Fuzwayo condemned the silence surrounding Gukurahundi and what he called superficial reconciliation efforts. More than four decades after the atrocities, there has been no justice, no official apology, and no effort to memorialize the victims. He said the government's gestures toward reconciliation lack sincerity and are more about political optics than addressing historical injustices.
"This atrocity, one among countless others committed during the Gukurahundi genocide, remains unacknowledged by the very government that carried it out," Fuzwayo said. "There has been no remorse. No memorialisation. No justice. Instead, we see attempts to sanitise the past through stage-managed processes that exclude those who suffered the most."
He described the deaths of the 21 women as not only a gross violation of human rights but also a spiritual wound that continues to haunt generations. "Their only ‘crime' was the potential to give birth to more of those whom the regime sought to annihilate," said Fuzwayo. "It was a cruel, calculated act that robbed children of their mothers and condemned survivors to a lifetime of trauma."
Marking Mother's Day, Ibhetshu LikaZulu did more than mourn the past—it issued a clear demand for truth, justice, and national healing. Fuzwayo said Zimbabwe cannot move forward until it fully confronts the legacy of Gukurahundi with honesty and accountability.
"Let this day not pass as mere sentiment," he concluded. "Let it be a rallying cry for justice, dignity, and remembrance. We honour not only the nurturing hands of mothers but the blood of the fallen. We will not forget. We will not be silenced."
The group's renewed call for action comes amid growing pressure on the government to facilitate a transparent, survivor-led process of reconciliation and truth-telling. While President Emmerson Mnangagwa has opened up limited dialogue around Gukurahundi, critics say the state's involvement remains an obstacle to genuine healing.
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