Chronicle EditorVusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
Villagers in Lupane, Nsuza, Nkayi, Tsholotsho, and Plumtree have revealed that they are living in fear as state agents have reportedly descended on their communities, targeting individuals who have been vocal about the Gukurahundi atrocities.
The harassment comes as Zimbabwe approaches the Harmonised Elections, with tensions running high in the Matabeleland region.
According to the villagers, they are being subjected to intimidation, beatings, and harassment, primarily because of their outspokenness on the 1980s Gukurahundi massacres. Some are accused of spearheading campaigns that have allegedly contributed to the ruling Zanu-PF party’s poor performance in past elections in Matabeleland.
The Gukurahundi issue has been used by some as a rallying point to challenge the ruling party, and those seen as leading this charge are now being targeted.
A villager from Nsuza, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the situation as dire. “State agents are everywhere in the village. They are accusing us of decampaigning the ruling party by bringing up Gukurahundi every time elections come around. Some of our people have been attacked and threatened, while others have fled their homes out of fear,” the villager said.
The tension has been further exacerbated by reports of disappearances involving villagers who participated in a Gukurahundi documentary filmed between 2018 and 2019.
Those who contributed to the documentary, believing President Mnangagwa’s assurances that people were free to discuss Gukurahundi without fear of consequences, have reportedly vanished under mysterious circumstances.
Villagers claim that those who have raised these disappearances with the media have also been targeted.
“We approached the media because we needed the truth to come out about what happened to the people who contributed to that documentary. Now, they are accusing us of working against the government. We are being hunted down for speaking the truth,” said a resident from Plumtree.
The Gukurahundi massacres, which saw thousands killed in Matabeleland and the Midlands during the 1980s, remain a deeply sensitive issue in Zimbabwe.
While President Mnangagwa has called for open dialogue on the matter in recent years, villagers argue that the reality on the ground paints a different picture.
“How can the president say we are free to speak about Gukurahundi when the moment we do, we are attacked, harassed, or our people disappear? This is not freedom; it is fear. We are being silenced,” a Tsholotsho villager lamented.
The villagers are now calling on human rights organizations and the international community to intervene and hold authorities accountable. “We need help. We are under siege, and our lives are in danger simply because we are fighting for justice and the truth to be known,” said a Lupane villager.
Efforts to obtain a response from government officials and Zanu-PF representatives have so far been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the situation in these communities continues to deteriorate, with fear and uncertainty clouding the lead-up to the elections.
Villagers are urging authorities to ensure their safety and to address the ongoing intimidation and threats they are facing.
As the country prepares for the Harmonised Elections, the plight of Matabeleland villagers underscores the lingering scars of Gukurahundi and the challenges of fostering genuine reconciliation and freedom of expression in Zimbabwe.
Online Reporter