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THE announcement by President Emmerson Mnangagwa that the Government will today launch public hearings into the Gukurahundi disturbances is a momentous and long-overdue development.
For decades, the events of the 1980s, in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces have been shrouded in silence. But the advent of the new dispensation led by President Mnangagwa declared that there was a need to be open about what happened during that period, and allow the nation to move forward.
The launch of these hearings represents a crucial opportunity for Zimbabwe to confront its painful past, provide a platform for victims and their families to share their stories, and take meaningful steps toward healing, and national reconciliation. As the President himself acknowledged, “the wounds of Gukurahundi have festered for far too long, preventing true unity and progress in the country”.
Now, there are high hopes that a new era of reconciliation is dawning. There are promises that the hearings, which will be led by the chiefs will be conducted with utmost impartiality, allowing victims and witnesses to share their stories freely and without fear of retribution.
It was a masterstroke by the Government especially on the part of President Mnangagwa to assign the chiefs the leading role in the hearings. This is because chiefs are mediators in conflict resolutions in their communities and usually enjoy unfettered respect from their subjects. They are also custodians of their communities’ spiritual and cultural needs; therefore, in this context, they are the best people to lead the process as they would depoliticise and depolarise it.
We applaud the Second Republic for opening up the process and it is now up to the communities to come out in large numbers and participate. It’s their programme which they should attend and own.
Time and again the president of the Chiefs’ Council, Chief Mtshane Khumalo has been quoted in the media advising communities to come on board and take part in the exercise and ignore calls by those who for long have been making political capital out of the disturbances. It is a fact that some people have become merchants of this unfortunate period in our history and have been making a living out of it by soliciting donor funding so that they line up their pockets. They have been hoodwinking anyone who cares to listen to them for a long time.
Chief Mtshane Khumalo has said these hearings being rolled out will be the correct platform to make any submissions.
“I know that a lot of things are being said, which I don’t want to comment on pertaining to this programme. But what we are requesting as traditional leaders is that this is an opportunity for the people to come to the meetings and say whatever they wish to see being done,” he was quoted as saying.
“It has been dragging for some time and we hope at the end of the community hearings we will come to a solution. So, we are requesting that they (people) attend community hearings.”
Crucially, the hearings must lead to concrete, meaningful outcomes. This includes the provision of reparations and psychosocial support for victims and their families.
Moreover, the hearings should be viewed as just the first step in a broader process of national peace and unity, which should be followed by the strengthening of institutional safeguards to prevent the recurrence of such disturbances.
If carried out with transparency and a willingness to confront the truth, no matter how painful, the Gukurahundi hearings could mark a pivotal turning point in Zimbabwe’s history. They could pave the way for a new era of consolidation of peace and ethnic harmony.
The road ahead is momentous. The people of Zimbabwe will be looking forward to a clear path towards a more just, peaceful, and united future. This moment must not be squandered.
Bongani Ndlovu