Peace and Reconciliation Bill another nothing

For the last two weeks I have been studying the Zimbabwe National Peace and Reconciliation Bill.
 
Its so sad to see how some people we put in positions of authority can sit down and spend hours and hours and claim dollars and dollars of sitting allowances while they allow personal egos and emotions to control them through a matter of national importance.

Since the Unity Accord of 1987, people from Matabeleland and the South Western parts of the Midlands regions have been calling for a commission to look into the issues of national healing following the madness of the Gukurahundi atrocities. Other regions in the country remained quiet on the whole matter even going to the extent of calling the people of this region some names for demanding for this process. It only had to wait until most recent when the chicken had turned around and started eating its own eggs that sporadic cries for this commission could be heard from the other regions.  
 
When Joshua Nkomo went around the region consulting or reporting back on the unity accord deliberations and the subsequent disappearance of PF ZAPU into ZANU PF, people in the regions asked one simple question, "kanti manje ukubulawa kwethu ke? (how about the killings?). He could not answer but only made promises and appeals, and the question remains unanswered even up today.

Through out the years just to be in solidarity with Nkomo the people of this region have opened up and said they are willing to compromise and try to seek reconciliation for the sake of nation building BUT on one condition, that is, to have a round table where the WHY, BY WHO and WHAT FOR of the Gukurahundi issues can be answered.

This has proven extremely difficult on the part of the perpetrators who find it better to just buy time and hope to escape the issues. This arrogance has inevitably allowed anger to develop among the people of this part of the country and the anger passed on to the next generations. It s not surprising then that some have developed this anger to an extent of demanding for the complete cessation of the region from the mainstream Zimbabwe.

Some over zealous political opportunists have come down to the region (possibly sent and not out of their own will) dangling promises of financial compensation for the atrocities, perhaps because of their nature where bribery or financial reward closes off everything. Our people have remained adamant all they want is a simple round the table discussion on the issues of Gukurahundi failure to which the terms of the new generation demanding the cessation of the region only but gain ground.
A good opportunity to let the people freely talk on the way forward on the issues of our post independence government brutality came in the constitution making process. As highlighted in the National Statistical Report of the constitution making process, the Matabeleland and Midlands provinces spoke strongly for a TRUTH and Reconciliation commission to bring some truce into the country.

However for some reason weird reasons, the ZANU PF side of the constitution makers deliberately pushed that the commission be a PEACE and Reconciliation Commission and worse forced to have the commission limited to a ten year period as highlighted in the notes on coming up with the final out put of the constitution. This they did deliberately so that they down play this very important nation building commission simply to by time and protect those of their own who led in the brutal killings, torture, rape and all sorts of inhuman treatment of citizens just to retain power.

There is a vast difference between what we wanted as a TRUTH and Reconciliation Commission to the PEACE and Reconciliation Commission that was finally given out. Reading the notes of the constitution making principals their weak argument was that there is no need for a TRUTH commission as it was "bound to open up some old wounds", and I am like what??? Then they argue that the commission can not be a permanent commission as it will address the issues of concern and set up a permanent way forward for the country.

I don't understand how these people could come up with such an argument. There is no way the brutalities and human rights abuses of this government from the Gukurahundi era to the current political violence can ever be just let off without being talked about. Do these people really understand the anger that lies within the people of Zimbabwe? Do they realise or care at all about the anger and hatred that lies between the Ndebele speaking people and the Shona speaking people? Do they realise the potential damage to the country that this anger and hatred may bring to future generations? Is theirs an attitude of just saying we will no longer be there, they will see what to do?

As if this is not enough, the National Peace and Reconciliation Bill is crafted to govern the operations of the Peace and Reconciliation Commission. The Bill right from its inception is totally against the provisions of the constitution and feelings of the people. The commission is expected to be and independent commission which will sit down and under no influence listen to all the stories of the victims of our brutality on each other and seek redress and reconciliation. BUT, the commission is through the Bill put to be under the full control of The Minister of National Healing who serves under the very government that is directly charged for the brutality.
In our current set up, the Minister responsible for that is our Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko who has already shocked many by disassociating the Gukurahundi killings from the hands of the known perpetrators and blamed it on the Western Countries. He has also never admitted that his patty ZANU PF is a violent party responsible for violent campaigns for votes and authority. Then really how do we hope to make any progress under the circumstance.

The Minister is expected, through the bill, to decide what issues are to be discussed, who to be interviewed, what parts of the findings to be published and all sorts of other crazy nonsense. Provisions of the United Nations Charter on such commissions is clear that whenever they are carried out they must be completely be independent of any influence more so government influence which in real terms is just basic logic too needing no United Nations emphasis, but in Zimbabwe we don't seem to see that logic.

The Bill further governs the financing of the commission to be limited to the discretion of Treasury and the Minister concerned. I mean really, how do we hope to achieve anything under such circumstances? If government has no money, which they will obviously claim not to have, the commission must be allowed to go out and source funding for its operations. This government has never spoken to the commission at all and outrightly lacks the political will to see the commission put into function then it is expected to put its money where its mouth is not found?  There is plenty of people out there who will want to come in and contribute to the smooth function of this commission, myself included I can afford to throw in a dollar to the cause and buy a box of pens to write with.

The Bill is ready, it must now be brought to the attention of members of the public to debate. Parliament deliberately decides to limit contributions to the bill by avoiding the very people who matter on the issue. Matabeleland consultations are set for Victoria Falls, Hwange, Lupane, Bulawayo and Plumtree, with Bulawayo coming in at the very last minute after people had complained. Midlands they are set for Gweru and Kwekwe urban only. I questioned this arrangement with the Clerk of Parliament today particularly why Gwanda is not included and the answer I got was that those in areas not listed are invited to make submissions to the Clerk of Parliament by email, clerk@parlzim.gov.zw and guess what, you will never get a response from this email address no matter what issue you table through.

You can not talk about Gukurahundi and not talk about Silobela, Vungu, Tsholotsho, Kezi - Maphisa, Gwanda, Nyamayendlovu and Gwayi areas. Non of the areas set for consultations really experienced the brutality of Gukurahundi nor much of the recent political violence. It is the direct victims in the excluded areas who will best contribute to how they want their issues to be heard and at least get some confidence that their issue is finally being attended to. Is it a question that the areas concerned do not have five star hotels for the consulting MPs to drink at and sleep in? Come election time these are the very people we see forcing to squat in little mud houses pretending to be caring and concerned.

I really wish Zimbabweans from all walks of life would come on board and kick out this nothing of a Bill and get Parliament to take us serious on a matter of such importance to nation building. We cant continue to be taken for granted in such a manner. Zimbabweans need to live peacefully and in harmony with each other not under this divide and rule set up we are exposed to by the current regime.  

Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo is an independent political and social analyst based in Gwanda and these are his personal views extracted from his personal Facebook page. He can be contacted at bekezelamaduma@yahoo.co.uk