Fresh calls for justice for Gukurahundi genocide rape victims

The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP has used the ongoing 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence to renew calls for justice for women who were raped and killed during the 1980s Gukurahundi massacres, a period in which an estimated 20 000 people lost their lives.

MRP leader Mqondisi Moyo said the annual campaign period serves as a powerful reminder of what he described as decades of gender-targeted atrocities and a sustained "state-engineered silence" affecting communities in Matabeleland.

"For the MRP and the broader Mthwakazi nation, this is not just another diarised campaign," said Moyo. "It is a period carved into our collective memory by the blood, tears and irreversible trauma inflicted upon our women, girls and children during the Gukurahundi genocide."

He described the violence as deliberate, targeted and systematic, arguing that it was tribal in nature and carried out as part of a structured military operation aimed at breaking communities. According to Moyo, women were deliberately targeted as a strategy to destroy the social and cultural foundations of affected regions.

Moyo also highlighted the long-term intergenerational trauma resulting from the atrocities, particularly the plight of children born from rape during that period. He said many continue to live with deep psychological and social scars, facing uncertainty about their identity and origins.

"Their lives became living evidence of a crime that sought not only to destroy a people, but to erase their future," he said.

The MRP leader criticised the Government's handling of the Gukurahundi issue, accusing it of failing to fully acknowledge the atrocities or provide justice to survivors and affected families. He described this stance as politically dishonest and morally indefensible.

"You cannot claim moral authority while suppressing truth. You cannot champion women's rights while refusing to confront what was done to women in Matabeleland," Moyo said.

He called for an independent, transparent and victim-centred process to address the violations, including meaningful reparations for survivors and the families of victims. Moyo also demanded that President Emmerson Mnangagwa publicly respond to longstanding allegations regarding his role and knowledge during the Gukurahundi period.

"The MRP calls firmly and publicly on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to act and issue a clear, unambiguous public statement responding to these unresolved issues," he said.

This year's 16 Days of Activism, which ran from November 25 to December 10, was held under the United Nations theme "End digital violence against all women and girls," focusing on emerging forms of abuse in the digital age while also drawing attention to historical injustices.

The Gukurahundi massacres were carried out by the North Korea-trained Fifth Brigade, deployed to Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands soon after independence under the leadership of former president Robert Mugabe. The campaign was ostensibly aimed at neutralising the Zapu liberation movement led by Joshua Nkomo and ended following the signing of the 1987 Unity Accord between Zanu and Zapu.

When he assumed office in 2017, President Mnangagwa pledged to prioritise the resolution of Gukurahundi-related issues, but critics say little tangible progress has been made to date.