News / National
'UK fomented Gukurahundi genocide in Zimbabwe'
27 Oct 2023 at 01:20hrs | Views
Former members of the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (Zipra) who served during the post-independence disturbances in Matebeleland claim that the British government, angered by the property acquisitions made by PF Zapu, indirectly triggered the Gukurahundi atrocities in Matebeleland and Midlands provinces.
One of the former ZPRA trainers, Cetshwayo Sithole, revealed that their intention was not to become dissidents but to equip themselves with properties. According to him, the Gukurahundi atrocities were a response to PF Zapu's extensive property acquisitions, which the British perceived as a threat to their interests.
Sithole stated, "The British saw this as a threat to them because they did not want to let go of this country after they were defeated. The late former President Robert Mugabe described the massacres as 'a moment of madness' after failing to prove that the dissidents belonged to PF Zapu."
Surprisingly, during the 1980 elections, PF Zapu received the fewest seats, only 20, despite having widespread support across the country.
Some of the properties acquired by ZPRA included Magnet House, Kudu Motors, Hampton Farm, Ascot Farm, Nest Egg Farm, Woodglen Farm, Nyamandlovu Farm, Mbalabala Garage, and the Snake Park, among others. These properties were subsequently forfeited to the State.
The Gukurahundi massacres were marked by the Zimbabwean National Army's elite 5th Brigade, which killed over 20,000 people in predominantly Ndebele-populated regions during that period.
One of the former ZPRA trainers, Cetshwayo Sithole, revealed that their intention was not to become dissidents but to equip themselves with properties. According to him, the Gukurahundi atrocities were a response to PF Zapu's extensive property acquisitions, which the British perceived as a threat to their interests.
Sithole stated, "The British saw this as a threat to them because they did not want to let go of this country after they were defeated. The late former President Robert Mugabe described the massacres as 'a moment of madness' after failing to prove that the dissidents belonged to PF Zapu."
Some of the properties acquired by ZPRA included Magnet House, Kudu Motors, Hampton Farm, Ascot Farm, Nest Egg Farm, Woodglen Farm, Nyamandlovu Farm, Mbalabala Garage, and the Snake Park, among others. These properties were subsequently forfeited to the State.
The Gukurahundi massacres were marked by the Zimbabwean National Army's elite 5th Brigade, which killed over 20,000 people in predominantly Ndebele-populated regions during that period.
Source - newsday
