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Calls grow for victim-centred Gukurahundi hearings in Bulawayo
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The Matabeleland region has renewed calls for the establishment of victim-centred centres in Bulawayo to address Gukurahundi atrocities, arguing that government-led traditional leader hearings are ineffective and exclusionary.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched Gukurahundi public hearings last year, appointing chiefs to lead the process, which government insists should bring closure to the decades-old issue. However, critics say the closed-door hearings lack transparency and fail to address the needs of victims.
Ibhetshu LikaZulu secretary-general Mbuso Fuzwayo said many victims, particularly those now based in Bulawayo, are unable to travel to rural areas to testify before traditional leaders.
"We need Gukurahundi victim centres in Bulawayo so that they can be able to testify before the panellists. Some of these victims lost their homes during the Gukurahundi era and no longer have a place of residence," Fuzwayo said. He added that the process also excludes victims in the Midlands province.
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions western region chairperson Ambrose Sibindi stressed that the hearings must be inclusive to build credibility. "There should be clear terms of reference as to what should be done after the exercise and what next," he said.
Freedom Alliance spokesperson Prince Ncube criticised government for expecting victims to fund their own participation. "Most victims are now permanently based in urban centres and cannot return to their rural homes due to economic challenges," he said.
Former Speaker of Parliament and United Movement for Devolution president Lovemore Moyo also weighed in, saying excluding Bulawayo amounted to a violation of victims' rights. "Gukurahundi victims are everywhere—some in the UK, others in South Africa. To confine them to rural areas is confusing. Everyone in Matabeleland was a victim," he said, urging government to allocate a budget for the process.
According to the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe, more than 20,000 people were killed by the North Korea-trained 5 Brigade during the Gukurahundi massacres of the 1980s. While reports suggest government plans to compensate victims, many survivors argue that no monetary payment can adequately address the cultural and emotional cost of lost lives.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched Gukurahundi public hearings last year, appointing chiefs to lead the process, which government insists should bring closure to the decades-old issue. However, critics say the closed-door hearings lack transparency and fail to address the needs of victims.
Ibhetshu LikaZulu secretary-general Mbuso Fuzwayo said many victims, particularly those now based in Bulawayo, are unable to travel to rural areas to testify before traditional leaders.
"We need Gukurahundi victim centres in Bulawayo so that they can be able to testify before the panellists. Some of these victims lost their homes during the Gukurahundi era and no longer have a place of residence," Fuzwayo said. He added that the process also excludes victims in the Midlands province.
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions western region chairperson Ambrose Sibindi stressed that the hearings must be inclusive to build credibility. "There should be clear terms of reference as to what should be done after the exercise and what next," he said.
Freedom Alliance spokesperson Prince Ncube criticised government for expecting victims to fund their own participation. "Most victims are now permanently based in urban centres and cannot return to their rural homes due to economic challenges," he said.
Former Speaker of Parliament and United Movement for Devolution president Lovemore Moyo also weighed in, saying excluding Bulawayo amounted to a violation of victims' rights. "Gukurahundi victims are everywhere—some in the UK, others in South Africa. To confine them to rural areas is confusing. Everyone in Matabeleland was a victim," he said, urging government to allocate a budget for the process.
According to the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe, more than 20,000 people were killed by the North Korea-trained 5 Brigade during the Gukurahundi massacres of the 1980s. While reports suggest government plans to compensate victims, many survivors argue that no monetary payment can adequately address the cultural and emotional cost of lost lives.
Source - Southern Eye
