Matabeleland South branches of Zimbabwe's main opposition parties have called for a full probe into the Gukurahundi atrocities and prosecution of the perpetrators.
Contributing in a public debate forum on National Healing and Reconciliation organised by the National Youth Development Trust in Gwanda yesterday representatives of the four main opposition parties all agreed that the atrocities need to be tackled head on and resolved if the country hopes for any reconciliation.
The four parties, Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) represented by Mbonisi Gumbo, MDC T represented by former parliamentarian Thandeko Zinti Mkandla, MDC represented by former Gwanda Mayor Lionel De Necker and ZAPU represented by Mncedisi Tshabalala all agreed that urgent action must be taken to deal with the people responsible for the atrocities.
The forum held at the Gwanda Red Cross Hall was convened to look particularly into the operations of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission as set up in Part 6 of Chapter 12 of the new constitution of Zimbabwe. The constitution states that the commission must exist for a ten year period from the effective date of the new constitution in which time total reconciliation of the warring Zimbabwean tribes must have been sorted. The commission is expected in the period to have managed to seek truth on all past atrocities the country has experienced and pave a way for no further such atrocities happening in future.
The Gukurahundi atrocities of the early 80s in Matabeleland is the immediate example of issues that need to be attended to. Other such issues that come to mind are the political violence of the 2005 and 2008 general elections and the Murambatsvina operations that left thousands homeless.
Contributing to debate, Mr Mkandla of the MDC T queried government's commitment to the commission seeing that its almost a year since the constitution was effected and already time is being lost before the commission has even been set up. Mkandla doubted ruling ZANU PF's commitment to the commission as it is likely to touch mostly on their senior members most of who are directly linked to the Gukurahundi atrocity if reports from enquiries on Gukurahundi are anything to go by.
"ZANU PF has the majority in Parliament and if they are serious about the commission they would have set it up already and aligned all the required legislation as a matter of urgency seeing that the commission is time framed."
Gumbo of MRP stated that his party as believers of Matabeleland cessation from Zimbabwe to revive the Mthwakazi Nation does not believe that reconciliation in Zimbabwe is a possibility and the separation of the country into two states is the only way out.
"For historical reasons it is very difficult if not impossible for the two parts of Zimbabwe to unite and the only way that can bring a peaceful solution is to allow the country to break into two and bring back the Mthwakazi Nation."
Representing the Welshman Ncube led MDC, De Necker echoed Mkandla's sentiments calling upon ZANU PF as the parliamentary majority to take the lead in ensuring the setting up of the commission and its total functionality.
"Our party as a very small minority in parliament can do very little to push for the speedy set up and operational of the commission but ZANU PF must take it upon themselves as bound by the constitution to set up the commission and urgently."
Speaking for ZAPU, Tshabalala also reiterated the need for government to speed up the probe into Gukurahundi as the country remains divided with a lot of questions unanswered around the issue. He further called on government through the Ministry of Youth to urgently facilitate for psychological counselling of several young man from Matabeleland who are still suffering from traumas of seeing their parents butchered in front of them.
"A lot of young people in Matabeleland are still having traumas of seeing their parents killed in front of them, their sisters and mothers being raped and pregnant mothers' stomachs being ripped open and no help has ever been accorded to these young people" said Tshabalala.
Before delivering his speech, Tshabalala asked the house to stand up and observe a moment of silence in memory of all the lives that were lost during the Gukurahundi atrocity.
Discussing on how long back the commission should go in seeking truth and reconciliation the house generally agreed that because of the time frame on the commission, investigations should be from the period after independence in 1980 to date. "If we have to go back to the Mzilikazi period the commission may never achieve its purpose and besides the people from that era are no longer available to answer for themselves issues around them" said a contributor from the floor.
The meeting which has been described as a general success was only marred by the non availability of representatives from the ruling ZANU PF both on the podium and on the floor besides being invited.
Speaking at the meeting one of the participates lamented ZANU PF's unavailability as he "expected them to be the people with the answers to the issues as it was them that perpetrated the atrocities and they are the government also."
Speaking on the phone a spokesperson for the NYDT in Bulawayo commended the people of Gwanda for taking part in the discussion forum and making it a huge success.
"The meeting was generally a huge success and the people spoke their hearts out freely and without any fear or intimidation. We want to thank the people of Gwanda for making the meeting a great success and for their inputs to the discussion topic".
Also speaking on her behalf one of the moderators Ms Linda Mpofu echoed the same sentiments applauding the meeting as "a great success".
Residents of Gwanda have generally always shown great interest in being involved in the public discussion forums particularly those that have a direct bearing on their lives and the development of the town and the region generally.
On Saturday afternoon a huge turnout is expected at the same venue as Gwanda Agenda convenes another indaba to discuss corruption reports in the country amidst reports that the Municipality of Gwanda is paying its town clerk and four other heads of department a whooping $750 000 per year in salaries almost half of the council's $1.8 million annual revenue collection. A representative of Transparency International an organisation focus on the elimination of corruption and graft in the world has been invited to present a key address. A local opposition councillor has also been invited to lead the discussion on how much the corruption in the local municipality has impacted on service delivery in the town.
Gukurahundi is genocide.....
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