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Nyemudzai Kakore, Harare Bureau
VICE President Phelekezela Mphoko has challenged the nation to address past human rights violations through dialogue, truth telling and forgiveness for national healing to succeed.
He said this would address the root cause of physical, emotional and traumatic experiences and mend broken relations.
Presenting a topic at the National Defence College on National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation, VP Mphoko said threats to national security such as tribalism, politics, hunger colonisation, economic issues and mistrust needed to be addressed.
“Matters of the need to reconcile people and bring about healing have remained partially addressed or not addressed for a very long time leading to carry over of conflicts. These conflicts have affected the lives of everyone as they’ve been carried forward from one generation to another,” he said.
“National security isn’t only about defending the country’s sovereignty through arms or waging wars, but other methods of bringing peace through dialogue and mediation,” he said.
“Where there are differences and conflicts, let’s agree to disagree and help bring about national healing and reconciliation of our people for peaceful development to take place in our countries and thus lead to betterment of the lives of all.”
VP Mphoko said the government had set up the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission with a view to achieving peace, development and national prosperity.
He said there was need to depolarise the political space through the promotion of more established inclusive and constructive processes such as more peaceful elections.
VP Mphoko’s sentiments come in the wake of reckless statements by the embattled MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai who called on all those who engaged in past violence to own up.
He urged opposition parties to respect national events such as the Independence and Heroes Day as their failure created a polarised political environment that affected efforts to bring peace and reconciliation.
He said their (opposition parties) failure is considered as a “contributory factor to a non-conciliatory attitude which keeps dividing the country along political lines.”
VP Mphoko said national security should never be compromised at any cost and to facilitate economic growth, it was the prerogative of the government to ensure the safety of its people and their property.
“Whilst the gravity of the threat to national security may not be visible at the lower levels, it thus becomes important that conflicts are best resolved from the lowest levels where they occur so that they don’t lead to national strife,” he said.
He congratulated the NDC for commendable work in turning the college into a University to have highly skilled and developed security cadres that could comprehend issues of national interest and national security.
derick.khumalo