A doomed holiday for unrepentant genocidaires!

We shall always remember the 21st of February as a doomed and diabolic holiday which has been set aside by the unrepentant genocidaires for openly celebrating the physical Gukurahundi genocide, which they, and Robert Mugabe committed in Matabeleland as early as 1981 up to 1987. Thereafter, the genocide has taken a largely intangible form which spearheads the marginalisation and impoverishment of Matabeleland. Indisputably, the day is a curse to the people of our region and indeed, the civilised world.

Tribalism Day

The Mugabe Holiday is the sad day on which we mourn the sons and daughters of Matabeleland and Midlands who gallantly fought against and ended the reign of the Smith regime, only to be murdered in cold blood thereafter, by none other than Robert Mugabe, his blue-eyed boys who include Emmerson Mnangagwa and their ZANU party. They were killed for belonging to their God-given ethnic group, the Ndebele. This is the Mashonaland Tribalism Day which can never be celebrated by us, the victims of the litany of abuses and the genocide against Matabeleland.

Disappearances Day

We also mark this doomed day as the day to commemorate the disappearances of innocent civilians of Matabeleland who were kidnapped taken away from their homes by the government security sector forces, chief among them being the 5th Brigade and the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO). The victims of these forced disappearances are yet to be brought back to their families and communities. Their children have waited for over forty years, to no avail. Instead of telling them where their parents and relatives are, the ZANU government is telling them to talk to their chiefs; and celebrate the so-called February 21st Movement or Mugabe Day. We mark it as the day of disappearances in Matabeleland which should be remembered accordingly.

Rape Day

We further remember February 21st as Mugabe and ZANU Rape Day. This is the day that reminds us of the painful period and experience of watching your wife, sister or parent being raped by boys from Mashonaland with the claim that they had come to track dissidents. This day is a stark reminder of the horrific abuses and peacetime violations that all the women and girls of Matabeleland went through at the hands of Mugabe, his Minister of State Security (Emmerson Mnangagwa), and the 5th Brigade. The woeful day can only be commemorated as Rape Day. Nothing less!

Mass Killings Day

To the sane and sober-mind, this day can never be viewed in any positive light and should unfailingly be declared Mass Killings or Genocide Day. It should be spent reflecting on the wanton and unprovoked killings of innocent civilians of Matabeleland and Midlands by an insecure and barbaric party that had undeservingly found itself in power after the Rhodesian Front (RF) and Margaret Thatcher-conducted elections in 1980. It is the insecurities of the genocidaires that drive them to maim and murder whoever they view as their adversary, both in the past and the present. The Gukurahundi genocide is no exception. This day should easily be named and inscribed in our hearts, as Genocide Day.

Torture and Beatings Day

Remembering and commemorating the experiences of all those who were beaten and tortured, or are being tortured even to this day, naming this day as Matabeleland Torture and Beatings Day would suffice. In that regard, the Gukurahundi beatings and torture at Stops Camp in Makokoba, Bulawayo, the tortures in army and police camps that were dotted all over Matabeleland would be brought into the radar. The victims who were either tortured to death or thrown into the Bhalagwe mine shafts, could also be remembered that way, too.

Economic Sabotage Day

This day cannot escape being commemorated as Matabeleland Economic Sabotage Day considering that the primitive genocidaires maimed and killed mostly the young and productive population of Matabeleland, the genocide directly destroyed the economy of the region. The genocide policies by Mugabe and ZANU further ensured (and continue to do so) that the survivors do not get employment and development opportunities. The genocidal design and scheme of things is that Matabeleland jobs and land should not be in the hands of the Matabelelanders. Viewing this day as Economic Sabotage Day, is sad but spot on.

Conclusion

For the Zimbabwe government to celebrate this day is an acknowledgement of our view that there is no new dispensation and that the current chiefs-led gukurahundi resolution initiative is a half-backed and insincere exercise in whose midst, the births and diabolic lives of genocidaires are being celebrated. Therefore, February 21st, is a doomed holiday for genocidaires and their genocidal disciples to dance kongonya on top of the bones of the genocide victims. That should never be cherished by any progressive-minded individuals or organisations.