Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka, Zimpapers Politics Hub
In a landmark step towards addressing the Gukurahundi issue, the long-awaited public hearings are progressing well in the Matabeleland region, where traditional chiefs are directly engaging with victims in affected communities.
Traditional leaders, led by National Chiefs Council President, Chief Mtshane Khumalo, briefed President Mnangagwa last Thursday on the effective start of the historically significant hearings.
In an interview, Chief Mtshane Khumalo said the meeting served to formally update President Mnangagwa, who had entrusted traditional leaders with spearheading the process of addressing the Gukurahundi issue as part of broader national healing efforts.
“We met His Excellency President Mnangagwa on Thursday last week, and what was important in that meeting, as people entrusted by him to lead the process, was to officially notify him that the outreach programme has started on the ground with the victims.
“The decision to directly inform the President underscored the gravity of the initiative. We saw it fitting to directly inform him rather than have him hear from the media,” said Chief Mtshane.
He further elaborated on the meeting’s purpose, confirming that it was a crucial update on the progress of the programme.
“We gave him our latest report, confirming that we are now engaging with the affected people, and that was the main purpose of that meeting,” he said. The Chief’s Council president said initial reports from the ground indicate a smooth start to the outreach.
“So far, there has been no opposition on the ground, the process is going well,” he said, highlighting the positive reception from the affected communities.
The High Court in Bulawayo last week dismissed a case brought by the Zapu party and its affiliates to halt the Gukurahundi public hearings.
Senior High Court judge, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi, ruled that the application by the opposition outfit was not urgent, thereby clearing the path for the Gukurahundi hearings to proceed effectively.
Zapu leader, Mr Sibangilizwe Nkomo, had filed an application challenging the proposed Gukurahundi hearings as flawed.
The court application caused delays in the smooth commencement of the vital Gukurahundi process, creating uncertainty around the highly anticipated national healing and reconciliation initiative.
The initiative, spearheaded by President Mnangagwa’s Second Republic, seeks to address and bring closure to post-independence disturbances that rocked Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands Province in the 1980s.
In May, Matabeleland chiefs launched a critical outreach programme, engaging with headmen and village heads across their jurisdictions, marking a significant step towards the Gukurahundi public hearings. The outreach was aimed at briefing fellow traditional leaders on the upcoming hearings.
President Mnangagwa entrusted traditional leaders with leading the process of addressing the Gukurahundi issue as part of broader national healing efforts.
He officially launched the Gukurahundi public hearings programme last July, empowering traditional leaders to conduct the hearings.
Initiated in February 2019, the Government’s approach seeks to resolve the Gukurahundi issue through an internal, home-grown process that reinforces national unity.
The Second Republic has demonstrated a strong commitment to facilitating a healing process that brings closure to past conflicts, aligning with the President’s vision of nation-building and fostering unity.
