President Mnangagwa convenes chiefs to initiate Gukurahundi Hearings for national reconciliation and unity

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is today expected to meet chiefs from the Matabeleland region to finalise the process that will ultimately mark the beginning of Gukurahundi hearings as the Second Republic takes a bold step towards finding a lasting solution and fostering national unity.

Traditional leaders among other stakeholders have converged at the State House in Bulawayo where they will brief President Mnangagwa on their preparedness to tackle the Gukurahundi issue.

Ministers such as Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube, Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi have taken their seats.

Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe among other Ministers are also in attendance.

Senior civil servants and heads of Government departments are in attendance.

The clergy is also in attendance.

In October 2022, the President launched a manual on the Gukurahundi community engagement processes by chiefs including a report on their consultative meetings.

Traditional leaders crafted and adopted the Gukurahundi manual to guide the holding of victim-friendly public hearings to ensure national healing as the country confronts its unfortunate past brought about by the 1980s conflict.

The manual, which is a product of inclusive engagements between chiefs and various stakeholders, is a culmination of traditional leaders’ meetings with President Mnangagwa, which started in March 2019.

Chiefs are expected to lead the public hearings in communities on Gukurahundi, which remains a thorny subject in some parts of Matabeleland and Midlands provinces.

Under the Second Republic, President Mnangagwa continues to walk the talk in terms of facilitating processes aimed at bringing closure to post-independence conflicts as part of nation-building.

President Mnangagwa has on various platforms emphasised the importance of unity in the country which he believes sets the stage for collective prosperity.

Fostering unity in the country through addressing the emotive Gukurahundi issue is also central to the country moving forward in one direction.

The country experienced the Gukurahundi conflict in the early 1980s with the Matabeleland region and parts of Midlands Province being the most affected.

While the 1987 Unity Accord provided a political solution to the conflict, its social implications were left unattended.

However, when President Mnangagwa assumed power, he said the country needed to confront its past, no matter how dark, while stating that resolving Gukurahundi was his personal mission.