News / Press Release
Matebele Diaspora Genocide Conference: Dabengwa and Mzila expected to attend
11 Apr 2018 at 12:19hrs | Views
This press release is issued to the public as a way of an update about the 1893 Mthwakazi (Matebeleland) Human Rights Restoration Movement's programme of activities including an update on the upcoming 1st Matebeleland Diaspora "Gukurahundi" Genocide Conference in the UK.
Context of the Demo
In August 1981 to June 1982, a year after Zimbabwe got independence, Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his government enlisted the services of the North Koreans to train and arm a crack unit called the 5th Brigade, Mugabe's Gukurahundi storm troopers. This unit was deployed on its genocidal forays in Matebeleland in January 1983 to 1987. Gukurahundi is a Shona word meaning the early storm that washes away the chaff before spring season.
Between 50 000 and 100 000 Matebele people were massacred in cold blood by this Brigade as it rampaged through this territory. The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) report conducted under a heavy cloud of fear of reprisals from the government for daring to make a record of the killings gives a conservative estimate number of 20 000 deaths and yet many areas of Matebeleland were not reached during the compiling of its report.
Mugabe's 5th Brigade topped and iced its mass killings with mass beatings, mass detentions, mass burning down of homesteads, mass raping of women, mass property rights violations and confiscations and mass starvation of the Matebele people through imposed curfews during this period. Mass displacement of the Matebele people to neighbouring and overseas countries became the order of the day and remains so to this day.
At the height of this genocide, the current President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was the then security minister at the time, was widely quoted engaging in a flamboyant biblical parody speech haranguing the Matebele victims at forced and frog-marched rallies saying, "Blessed are they who will follow the path of the Government laws, for their days on earth will be increased. But woe unto those who will choose the path of collaboration with dissidents for we will certainly shorten their stay on earth". Many lives were shortened, the result of which are mass graves and skeleton-filled mineshafts across Matebeleland and elsewhere in Zimbabwe.
The Matebele Genocide committed by the state of Zimbabwe under the leadership of both Robert Gabriel Mugabe and the current President and his cabal is an issue that needs attention in terms of Truth, Justice and Reparations to create conditions for healing and peace in that country long term. The barbaric cruelty against the people of Matebeleland did not stop in 1987 but it continues to this day in different sophisticated forms and guises, heavily institutionalised and embedded in every institution and organ of the sectarian state of Zimbabwe.
Demo Update
On the 24th March 2018, the 1893 MHRRM's UK Chapter carried out its 3rd successful demonstration concerning the Matebele "Gukurahundi" Genocide outside the Zimbabwe embassy in the UK. The Demo continued with its call for Truth, Justice and Reparations for the Matebele "Gukurahundi" Genocide committed by the Zimbabwean state in 1983 to 1987.
The Demo also denounced the continued systematic violation of Human Rights of the people of Matebeleland as typified by the massive deployment of state security apparatus on many occasions but recently on two significant occasions to deny the people of Matebeleland the Right to assembly and restore the Institution of Kingship.
The Demo denounced the massive deployment of state security apparatus including the army to intimidate, beat, harass and arrest the people of Matebeleland for wishing to express and exercise their God-given Rights as a people.
The demonstrators took the opportunity to denounce the deployment of the Zimbabwean Courts, Chief Charumbira and all manner of politicians that have been deployed, as political foot-soldiers of the regime, to deny the people of Matebeleland the space to exercise and live their God-given Rights. Obert Mpofu, the current Minister of Home Affairs and Culture, does not escape noticing.
The Demo condemned the persecution, arrest and detention of Mzilikazi II, Stanley Raphael Khumalo and his being dragged to court on trumped up charges for daring to exercise our God-given Rights. The demonstrators condemned the intimidation, harassment, beatings and arrests of Matebeleland people, who defended Mzilikazi II in November 2017, by the security apparatus. Demonstrators called on this government to abolish and abandon its on-going genocidal forays in Matebeleland. The time is up for this government's pogrom of all manner of human rights violations including the violation of cultural and linguistic rights of the Matebele.
Of particular interest is to note that when this regime signals to the International community that Zimbabwe has entered a "New Dispensation" period and entices the international community with our resources to gain full support, the regime does exactly the opposite domestically, engaging in a continued war-path of wanton Human Rights violations particularly in Matebeleland, turning Matebeleland into a police territory that is heavily saturated with state agents and other state security apparatus.
Since the November 2017 Palace Coup, we have seen a re-enactment of the regime's 1980 behaviour where peace and reconciliation were being preached to the international community while doing exactly the opposite domestically, engaging in ethnic genocide and gross human rights violation of the very black people the regime claimed to be its liberators. The liberators instantly morphed into oppressors and the liberated into victims and captives.
The demonstrators denounced the white-wash works of the compromised National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) and declared it a toothless hyena that is not fit for purpose. This Commission is ostensibly appointed by those implicated in the Matebele Genocide and other gross human rights violations that include the wanton violation of property rights since 1980. Therefore, this Commission has no aorta of independence and has no aorta of interest in addressing the Genocide of the Matebele people. It is a mirage or phantasmagoria Commission of political fraud meant to safeguard the interests of those implicated in this heinous crime. It has all the hallmarks of subterfuge! This point cannot, by any stretch of logical reasoning and analysis, be over laboured.
The demonstrators re-affirmed the position that the NPRC is totally rejected, rebuffed and repudiated by the people of Matebeleland. They re-affirmed the need for the establishment of an Independent International Truth and Justice Commission to investigate the genocide and open a space for forensic experts to deal with and collect physical evidence in Gukurahundi mass graves sites and in mass skeleton-filled mineshafts sites dotted around Matebelelans and for such evidence to be presented in an impartial and non-politicized court of law.
As usual and because it cannot go away, the Matebele Genocide has recently been a hot topic in Zimbabwe after Robert Gabriel Mugabe's histrionic coup interviews where he blamed the Matebele for the genocide. The 1893 MHRRM takes this opportunity to condemn Robert Gabriel "Tenfold Black Hitler" Mugabe's attempts to blame the late Joshua "Mqabuko" Nkomo, the late Lookout Masuku, Dabengwa, ZIPRA and Zapu and the Matebele for the genocide that he is responsible for. The Matebele Genocide is Mugabe's baby with his comrades in Zanu PF. It is albatross around their necks. The more they try to pull it and throw it away off their necks, the more it boomerangs on them in a spectacular fashion.
Put plainly, Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his cabal are genocide Denialists and Minorists masquerading as leaders and yet we know that they have and remain mis-leaders who have and continue to shame Africa and give it a bad name. They are the antithesis of the late Joshua "Mqabuko" Nkomo and the late Nelson "Rolihlahla" Madiba Mandela who were and who remain paragons of virtue to many in Africa, the towering liberation giants and icons of Africa.
Therefore, Mugabe's denialism of this genocide and his attempt to blame the Matebele for the genocide of his own making does not absolve him from responsibility and accountability. James Morcan is correct in saying that, "deniers will always come up with pathetic lies and red herrings aimed at deceiving and leading the gullible astray.". It is exactly what the Matebele Genocide denialists of Mugabe's ilk are engaged in. They make clumsy and frivolous attempts to deflect their responsibility and accountability by heaping that responsibility of their committed crimes against humanity on the shoulders of their victims and survivors.
We strongly condemn Mugabe's genocide denialist antics and political frolics in the glare of the international media and radar. The responsibility for the genocide lies squarely on his shoulders and on the shoulders of a clique of his cabalists and genocide-hugging roaders.
Put plainly, his denialism gives us the resolve to seek Truth, Justice and Reparations for the people of Matebeleland, hence our holding of the 1st Matebeleland Diaspora "Gukurahundi" Genocide Conference in May in the United Kingdom.
1st Matebeleland Diaspora "Gukurahundi" Genocide Conference Update
The next significant programme for the 1893 MHRRM is its 1st Matebeleland Diaspora Genocide Conference that is taking place on the 12th May 2018 in the town of Luton, located 46 kilometres north of London.
As promised earlier in our press release statements, our high-profile guest speakers expected to grace the conference are Dumiso Dabengwa, Moses Mzila Ndlovu, Dumisani Dube, Dr Hazel Cameroon, Graham Williamson and others yet to confirm.
Several topics regarding the Genocide will be presented ranging from survivor's narratives to legal and human rights perspectives. It is hoped that the Conference will emerge with a Consensus Statement on the way forward on the redress of this Genocide, a statement that will seek to create a road map and a comprehensive Agenda from survivors themselves and stake holders alike in dealing with this issue.
The conference will take place at this venue:
The Lansdowne Hall, The Lansdowne Club, 70 New Bedford Road, Luton, Bedford, LU3 1BS
Time: 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM
The Matebele, friends of the Matebele and all Human Rights Defenders and Lovers are invited to attend in large numbers.
The following are the contact telephone numbers for any queries regarding this conference organised by 1893 MHRRM.
Tel: 07889 422 695 / 07763 330 905
For those who know little about the Matebele "Gukurahundi" Genocide, the following links are recommended for viewing:
Released by the 1893 Mthwakazi Human Rights Restoration Movement's Information and Publicity Department, All Rights Reserved
Context of the Demo
In August 1981 to June 1982, a year after Zimbabwe got independence, Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his government enlisted the services of the North Koreans to train and arm a crack unit called the 5th Brigade, Mugabe's Gukurahundi storm troopers. This unit was deployed on its genocidal forays in Matebeleland in January 1983 to 1987. Gukurahundi is a Shona word meaning the early storm that washes away the chaff before spring season.
Between 50 000 and 100 000 Matebele people were massacred in cold blood by this Brigade as it rampaged through this territory. The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) report conducted under a heavy cloud of fear of reprisals from the government for daring to make a record of the killings gives a conservative estimate number of 20 000 deaths and yet many areas of Matebeleland were not reached during the compiling of its report.
Mugabe's 5th Brigade topped and iced its mass killings with mass beatings, mass detentions, mass burning down of homesteads, mass raping of women, mass property rights violations and confiscations and mass starvation of the Matebele people through imposed curfews during this period. Mass displacement of the Matebele people to neighbouring and overseas countries became the order of the day and remains so to this day.
At the height of this genocide, the current President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was the then security minister at the time, was widely quoted engaging in a flamboyant biblical parody speech haranguing the Matebele victims at forced and frog-marched rallies saying, "Blessed are they who will follow the path of the Government laws, for their days on earth will be increased. But woe unto those who will choose the path of collaboration with dissidents for we will certainly shorten their stay on earth". Many lives were shortened, the result of which are mass graves and skeleton-filled mineshafts across Matebeleland and elsewhere in Zimbabwe.
The Matebele Genocide committed by the state of Zimbabwe under the leadership of both Robert Gabriel Mugabe and the current President and his cabal is an issue that needs attention in terms of Truth, Justice and Reparations to create conditions for healing and peace in that country long term. The barbaric cruelty against the people of Matebeleland did not stop in 1987 but it continues to this day in different sophisticated forms and guises, heavily institutionalised and embedded in every institution and organ of the sectarian state of Zimbabwe.
Demo Update
On the 24th March 2018, the 1893 MHRRM's UK Chapter carried out its 3rd successful demonstration concerning the Matebele "Gukurahundi" Genocide outside the Zimbabwe embassy in the UK. The Demo continued with its call for Truth, Justice and Reparations for the Matebele "Gukurahundi" Genocide committed by the Zimbabwean state in 1983 to 1987.
The Demo also denounced the continued systematic violation of Human Rights of the people of Matebeleland as typified by the massive deployment of state security apparatus on many occasions but recently on two significant occasions to deny the people of Matebeleland the Right to assembly and restore the Institution of Kingship.
The Demo denounced the massive deployment of state security apparatus including the army to intimidate, beat, harass and arrest the people of Matebeleland for wishing to express and exercise their God-given Rights as a people.
The demonstrators took the opportunity to denounce the deployment of the Zimbabwean Courts, Chief Charumbira and all manner of politicians that have been deployed, as political foot-soldiers of the regime, to deny the people of Matebeleland the space to exercise and live their God-given Rights. Obert Mpofu, the current Minister of Home Affairs and Culture, does not escape noticing.
The Demo condemned the persecution, arrest and detention of Mzilikazi II, Stanley Raphael Khumalo and his being dragged to court on trumped up charges for daring to exercise our God-given Rights. The demonstrators condemned the intimidation, harassment, beatings and arrests of Matebeleland people, who defended Mzilikazi II in November 2017, by the security apparatus. Demonstrators called on this government to abolish and abandon its on-going genocidal forays in Matebeleland. The time is up for this government's pogrom of all manner of human rights violations including the violation of cultural and linguistic rights of the Matebele.
Of particular interest is to note that when this regime signals to the International community that Zimbabwe has entered a "New Dispensation" period and entices the international community with our resources to gain full support, the regime does exactly the opposite domestically, engaging in a continued war-path of wanton Human Rights violations particularly in Matebeleland, turning Matebeleland into a police territory that is heavily saturated with state agents and other state security apparatus.
Since the November 2017 Palace Coup, we have seen a re-enactment of the regime's 1980 behaviour where peace and reconciliation were being preached to the international community while doing exactly the opposite domestically, engaging in ethnic genocide and gross human rights violation of the very black people the regime claimed to be its liberators. The liberators instantly morphed into oppressors and the liberated into victims and captives.
The demonstrators denounced the white-wash works of the compromised National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) and declared it a toothless hyena that is not fit for purpose. This Commission is ostensibly appointed by those implicated in the Matebele Genocide and other gross human rights violations that include the wanton violation of property rights since 1980. Therefore, this Commission has no aorta of independence and has no aorta of interest in addressing the Genocide of the Matebele people. It is a mirage or phantasmagoria Commission of political fraud meant to safeguard the interests of those implicated in this heinous crime. It has all the hallmarks of subterfuge! This point cannot, by any stretch of logical reasoning and analysis, be over laboured.
As usual and because it cannot go away, the Matebele Genocide has recently been a hot topic in Zimbabwe after Robert Gabriel Mugabe's histrionic coup interviews where he blamed the Matebele for the genocide. The 1893 MHRRM takes this opportunity to condemn Robert Gabriel "Tenfold Black Hitler" Mugabe's attempts to blame the late Joshua "Mqabuko" Nkomo, the late Lookout Masuku, Dabengwa, ZIPRA and Zapu and the Matebele for the genocide that he is responsible for. The Matebele Genocide is Mugabe's baby with his comrades in Zanu PF. It is albatross around their necks. The more they try to pull it and throw it away off their necks, the more it boomerangs on them in a spectacular fashion.
Put plainly, Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his cabal are genocide Denialists and Minorists masquerading as leaders and yet we know that they have and remain mis-leaders who have and continue to shame Africa and give it a bad name. They are the antithesis of the late Joshua "Mqabuko" Nkomo and the late Nelson "Rolihlahla" Madiba Mandela who were and who remain paragons of virtue to many in Africa, the towering liberation giants and icons of Africa.
Therefore, Mugabe's denialism of this genocide and his attempt to blame the Matebele for the genocide of his own making does not absolve him from responsibility and accountability. James Morcan is correct in saying that, "deniers will always come up with pathetic lies and red herrings aimed at deceiving and leading the gullible astray.". It is exactly what the Matebele Genocide denialists of Mugabe's ilk are engaged in. They make clumsy and frivolous attempts to deflect their responsibility and accountability by heaping that responsibility of their committed crimes against humanity on the shoulders of their victims and survivors.
We strongly condemn Mugabe's genocide denialist antics and political frolics in the glare of the international media and radar. The responsibility for the genocide lies squarely on his shoulders and on the shoulders of a clique of his cabalists and genocide-hugging roaders.
Put plainly, his denialism gives us the resolve to seek Truth, Justice and Reparations for the people of Matebeleland, hence our holding of the 1st Matebeleland Diaspora "Gukurahundi" Genocide Conference in May in the United Kingdom.
1st Matebeleland Diaspora "Gukurahundi" Genocide Conference Update
The next significant programme for the 1893 MHRRM is its 1st Matebeleland Diaspora Genocide Conference that is taking place on the 12th May 2018 in the town of Luton, located 46 kilometres north of London.
As promised earlier in our press release statements, our high-profile guest speakers expected to grace the conference are Dumiso Dabengwa, Moses Mzila Ndlovu, Dumisani Dube, Dr Hazel Cameroon, Graham Williamson and others yet to confirm.
Several topics regarding the Genocide will be presented ranging from survivor's narratives to legal and human rights perspectives. It is hoped that the Conference will emerge with a Consensus Statement on the way forward on the redress of this Genocide, a statement that will seek to create a road map and a comprehensive Agenda from survivors themselves and stake holders alike in dealing with this issue.
The conference will take place at this venue:
The Lansdowne Hall, The Lansdowne Club, 70 New Bedford Road, Luton, Bedford, LU3 1BS
Time: 10:00 AM until 18:00 PM
The Matebele, friends of the Matebele and all Human Rights Defenders and Lovers are invited to attend in large numbers.
The following are the contact telephone numbers for any queries regarding this conference organised by 1893 MHRRM.
Tel: 07889 422 695 / 07763 330 905
For those who know little about the Matebele "Gukurahundi" Genocide, the following links are recommended for viewing:
Released by the 1893 Mthwakazi Human Rights Restoration Movement's Information and Publicity Department, All Rights Reserved
Source - Thembani Dube
