Johannesburg - South African human rights lawyers who heard moving testimonies of Gukurahundi survivors in Johannesburg last week have vowed to bring the perpetrators of the genocide to justice.
The lawyers promised to take the matter further with higher authorities in South Africa and internationally.
Scores of witnesses who voluntarily agreed to give evidence told the lawyers that they were still traumatised by the killings of their family members. The hearings came following negotiations between the law firm and officials from the Patriotic Alliance of Mthwakazi Unions (Pamu).
According to one of the officials, some of the white female lawyers were moved to tears after hearing horrifying stories of savagery by the Fifth Brigade. The official said the lawyers could not believe such acts of barbarism were being committed across the border by a black government.
"We are happy with the response we got from our people.
We will wait for feedback from the lawyers," said the official who did not want to be identified fearing reprisals by agents of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO)-the Zimbabwe government spy agency.
The witnesses made it clear to the lawyers that even though they agreed to give evidence about the massacres, they were still afraid of the CIO agents operating from Johannesburg. There have been several attempts by the agents to abduct Zimbabwean activists in South Africa.
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace and international human rights organisations estimate that 20 000 vicillians were slaughtered by the brigade in Matabeleland and some Ndebele speaking villages in the Midlands province.
The massacres occurred between 1983 and 1985. The victims were supporters of Joshua Nkomo's Zapu party. President Robert Mugabe has since described the Gukurahundi era as a 'moment of madness' but has not apologised for the killings....
Aliqunywe Mthwakazi
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