Gukurahundi victims raise concern over meetings outcome

Gukurahundi victims in Matabeleland have expressed growing frustration over the slow pace of government-led reconciliation meetings, raising concerns that many survivors are dying before receiving compensation.

The hearings, which began last year, are being overseen by traditional chiefs and community panels in areas most affected by the massacres. Chief Nalukoba of Hwange district told NewsDay Weekender that the process had stalled due to transport challenges but is expected to resume once fuel logistics are sorted.

"The meetings had stopped because of the non-availability of transport. We have been informed that we will be provided with the coupons for fuel to continue with the work," Chief Nalukoba said. He added that arrears for allowances owed to teams on the ground are expected to be cleared soon.

Victims, however, are demanding clarity on compensation timelines. "They want to know the timeframe for the whole process. They say time is not on their side, they are dying and that once they die, who is going to get the compensation since the reconciliation process has not been completed yet," Chief Nalukoba said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one survivor urged the government to begin compensating those already registered, saying the move would help build trust in the process. "Some of us have been interviewed. The government should start with the first batch for people to see if the whole exercise is genuine or not," the victim said. Another added, "The process is taking too long. If we die before the completion of this process, our children will not be able to benefit from the exercise."

The Gukurahundi massacres were a series of state-led killings between 1983 and 1987, primarily targeting the Ndebele ethnic group and supporters of opposition leader Joshua Nkomo. The campaign, executed by a North Korea-trained army unit under the late former President Robert Mugabe, claimed an estimated 20,000 lives according to the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who launched the village hearings, emphasised that survivors would be interviewed to address long-standing grievances and tensions in the region. However, victims' calls for faster compensation highlight the urgency of concluding the reconciliation process before more lives are lost.