Use homegrown solutions, Zim urged

did not work in Zimbabwe because they were specific to certain countries.
“The problem is we are using solutions from books written by people in Chicago, London and Paris. We are tired of such solutions. They do not work here,” he said.

He said despite the imported solutions the incidence of all forms of violence was on the increase.
He said traditional leaders should suggest the best forms of mechanisms to use for peace building, conflict resolution and reconciliation.
“We want to employ traditional methods in conflict resolution,” he said.

Traditional leaders have been challenged to establish peace building approaches and methods, which could be used as a regional model in conflict resolution.
Minister of State on the Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration Moses Mzila –Ndlovu urged traditional leaders to revert to the tried and tested traditional peace building approaches and mechanisms.

He was speaking at a three-day workshop on ‘Traditional Mechanisms, approaches and Systems for Peace Building, Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation’.
The workshop is being attended by the leadership of members of the chiefs’ council, academics and senior Government officials. “The project’s major objective is therefore to research and document the traditional approaches to peace building and reconciliation mechanisms and techniques contextual and specifics to Zimbabwe,” he said.

Minister Mzila-Ndlovu said the research should draw lessons from societal “cultural values and norms for purposes of implementing conflict prevention, management and transformation programmes”.
The research will document the culturally diverse and dynamic peace building and reconciliation methods and techniques within the different stages of the nation’s history and the contemporary times for implementation.

The requirement for traditional mechanisms, approaches and systems for peace building, conflict resolution and reconciliation was informed from the consultative engagements between the organ on national healing and traditional leaders in September 2009.

Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo urged law enforcement agents to descend heavily on perpetrators of political violence without fear or favour.

He said the agents should work closely with traditional leaders to mitigate violence.