News / National
Gukurahundi survivors at risk of re-traumatisation
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Mounting criticism is trailing the government's proposed structure for the upcoming Gukurahundi hearings, set to begin on June 26, amid fears the process will intimidate and re-traumatise victims - particularly women - due to its private, panel-style format.
The National Council of Chiefs, which is leading the initiative, announced that testimonies will not be heard in public but in closed sessions before a 14-member panel led by the local chief. Victims will appear alone, possibly accompanied by one or two family members.
"These are not public hearings," said Chief Fortune Charumbira, Deputy President of the Council, during a press conference in Bulawayo. He stressed that victims from the same community would not appear together.
However, the structure has sparked widespread concern among civil society groups, political figures, and academics, who warn the process risks replicating the same climate of fear and silence that has long surrounded the Gukurahundi genocide of the 1980s.
Bulawayo North MP Minenhle Gumede voiced deep concern, warning that the setup could prevent victims - especially women - from opening up about their experiences.
"If this exercise is carried out this way, it is likely to intimidate a lot of victims, especially women whose testimonies are important," she said. "If they are to give their testimonies under such an intimidating environment, they are not likely to speak honestly about what they experienced and what is in their hearts and minds."
Gumede also questioned the legality of the hearings, pointing out that no formal instrument had been passed through Parliament to back the process. She pledged to consult her fellow MPs on possibly moving a motion to challenge or reform the hearings.
Hannah Kayisa, South Africa Coordinator for The Patriotic Front (TPF), said the format risks silencing survivors rather than empowering them.
"Appearing individually before a 14-member panel, with only one or two family members present, can be an intimidating process, particularly for women survivors of sexual violence," she said. "Trauma is not just a memory - it is a living wound."
Kayisa cited South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Rwanda's post-genocide Gacaca courts as models Zimbabwe could learn from, emphasising the need for safe spaces, mental health support, and survivor-led structures.
"Are we seeking to tick a box, or are we building a process that helps survivors reclaim their voice, dignity, and power?" she asked, warning that the current model "risks creating a courtroom atmosphere rather than a healing space."
Dr Khanyile Mlotshwa, a scholar in Critical Studies, lambasted the structure as inherently intimidating, regardless of gender.
"The government must not waste state resources claiming they are on a truth-finding mission when clearly they are out to intimidate the victims," he said. "It's like a playground bully beating up another kid and then asking them, ‘I did not hit you, did I?'"
Veteran opposition politician and former minister Moses Mzila Ndlovu took an even harder stance, calling for a boycott of the process.
"This is an absolutely criminal exercise carried out by the very people who initiated and carried out the Gukurahundi killings," he said. "What is not being said to the public about their security is what people are going to learn when this exercise is over - when they start being hunted down by the same people who killed their relatives or raped them."
Though the government and traditional leaders have touted the programme as a "victim-centred" approach, the format of closed-door sessions - especially without broader psychological support - has led many to fear the process will further entrench silence rather than offer healing.
As Zimbabwe prepares for the start of the long-awaited hearings, calls are growing for authorities to revise the structure to ensure that it fosters safety, transparency, and true reconciliation. Without such reform, many warn, the process could end up retraumatising survivors and deepening the wounds it seeks to heal.
The National Council of Chiefs, which is leading the initiative, announced that testimonies will not be heard in public but in closed sessions before a 14-member panel led by the local chief. Victims will appear alone, possibly accompanied by one or two family members.
"These are not public hearings," said Chief Fortune Charumbira, Deputy President of the Council, during a press conference in Bulawayo. He stressed that victims from the same community would not appear together.
However, the structure has sparked widespread concern among civil society groups, political figures, and academics, who warn the process risks replicating the same climate of fear and silence that has long surrounded the Gukurahundi genocide of the 1980s.
Bulawayo North MP Minenhle Gumede voiced deep concern, warning that the setup could prevent victims - especially women - from opening up about their experiences.
"If this exercise is carried out this way, it is likely to intimidate a lot of victims, especially women whose testimonies are important," she said. "If they are to give their testimonies under such an intimidating environment, they are not likely to speak honestly about what they experienced and what is in their hearts and minds."
Gumede also questioned the legality of the hearings, pointing out that no formal instrument had been passed through Parliament to back the process. She pledged to consult her fellow MPs on possibly moving a motion to challenge or reform the hearings.
Hannah Kayisa, South Africa Coordinator for The Patriotic Front (TPF), said the format risks silencing survivors rather than empowering them.
Kayisa cited South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Rwanda's post-genocide Gacaca courts as models Zimbabwe could learn from, emphasising the need for safe spaces, mental health support, and survivor-led structures.
"Are we seeking to tick a box, or are we building a process that helps survivors reclaim their voice, dignity, and power?" she asked, warning that the current model "risks creating a courtroom atmosphere rather than a healing space."
Dr Khanyile Mlotshwa, a scholar in Critical Studies, lambasted the structure as inherently intimidating, regardless of gender.
"The government must not waste state resources claiming they are on a truth-finding mission when clearly they are out to intimidate the victims," he said. "It's like a playground bully beating up another kid and then asking them, ‘I did not hit you, did I?'"
Veteran opposition politician and former minister Moses Mzila Ndlovu took an even harder stance, calling for a boycott of the process.
"This is an absolutely criminal exercise carried out by the very people who initiated and carried out the Gukurahundi killings," he said. "What is not being said to the public about their security is what people are going to learn when this exercise is over - when they start being hunted down by the same people who killed their relatives or raped them."
Though the government and traditional leaders have touted the programme as a "victim-centred" approach, the format of closed-door sessions - especially without broader psychological support - has led many to fear the process will further entrench silence rather than offer healing.
As Zimbabwe prepares for the start of the long-awaited hearings, calls are growing for authorities to revise the structure to ensure that it fosters safety, transparency, and true reconciliation. Without such reform, many warn, the process could end up retraumatising survivors and deepening the wounds it seeks to heal.
Source - CITE
