Destruction of Gukurahundi Bhalagwe memorial plaque appalling

THE Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) is appalled by the latest destruction of a Gukurahundi memorial plaque at Bhalagwe in Maphisa, Matabeleland South province.

This is the third time in two years that the memorial plaque has been vandalised.

The plaque was erected by villagers in memory of their beloved family members, victims of the Gukurahundi massacres buried in a mass grave at Bhalagwe.

On January 4, 2022, suspected State security agents used what appeared to be explosives to destroy the memorial plaque at Bhalagwe.

Government’s silence and seeming inability to investigate this and previous cases of the destruction of memorial plaques points to unbridled intransigence and insincerity on the part of government towards genuinely addressing issues of national healing and reconciliation, almost three decades since the Gukurahundi massacres which resulted in the loss of over 20 000 innocent lives.

We view the cosmetic approach by President Emmerson Mnangagwa towards national healing and reconciliation as self-defeating as they only serve to betray the independence dream of a united Zimbabwe which faced a false start with the Gukurahundi massacres presided over by the late former President Robert Mugabe.

Destroying memorial plaques and refusing to acknowledge the act only cements the long held notion that those that presided over Gukurahundi are now leading the State and are bent on sweeping the issue under the carpet to eternity.

It is on this premise that the CiZC implores the State to be sincere and to accord the issue of national healing and reconciliation the seriousness it deserves.

That we have a constitutional commission, the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, is testimony of the need to address issues such as Gukurahundi, which are a blight on the development trajectory of our country. Such acts of sabotage can only serve to further divide the nation.

We applaud various citizens’ initiatives in fighting for the curation of Gukurahundi and pushing the agenda of national healing and reconciliation.

As the CiZC, we reaffirm our support towards such efforts.

The dream of converting Zimbabwe from a country to a nation starts with inclusively and comprehensively dealing with Gukurahundi!