Gukurahundi victims itching to tell their horrific stories

Some Gukurahundi victims have asked the government not to censor the media when public hearings into the 1980’s mass killings begin.

The government recently announced that public hearings into the 1980s killings will begin before the end of the first quarter of 2024.

The exercise to be led by traditional leaders seeks to document and facilitate processes towards addressing the emotive issue.

At least 72 traditional leaders drawn from matabeleland North and South provinces recently underwent training on how they would conduct the hearings.

A Gukurahundi victim, Ben moyo, said the media must not be censored when covering the public hearings.

"With regards to the media, the government set up a blanket ban on the media when they carried out the Gukurahundi operation, there are fears that the government may seek to order the same and censor coverage,” moyo said.

It is now 37 years since the end of the Zanu PF led government sponsored mass killings in matabeleland and midlands but with and no solution.

In 2020, President emmerson mnangagwa tasked the traditional leaders to deal with the killings but critics, especially the victims, have complained over their exclusion.

Ibhetshu likaZulu coordinator mbuso Fuzwayo (pictured) urged authorities to also put time frames on when the public hearings would start and end.

“It’s unfortunate because there's no clear date when they will start, they might spend the whole year on peripheral issues like trainings that have been unending,” Fuzwayo said.

“The process has a lot of gaps, no one is telling us about the participation of the perpetrator for truth telling.”

A Nkayi villager Nhlanhla moses Ncube said he was not happy with the way the government was handling the Gukurahundi issue.

“First, the government should ask people how they want the issue to be resolved,” Ncube said.

“Government should also explain why innocent civilians were killed in cold blood like what happened.

“It is not clear what role the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission will play while on the other hand, chiefs do not seem to possess the requisite skills and freedom to carry out the task unfettered.”

Zipra Veterans Association spokesperson Buster magwizi said the government should have ensured that the victims are included in the preliminary stages of mapping the hearings to ensure their buy in.

"In the first place the government was supposed to ask the people what should be done,” magwizi said.

“The chiefs are now in a quagmire on how to deal with it because they were just tasked without a clear roadmap.”

At least 20 000 people were killed in matabeleland and midlands when the late Robert mugabe unleashed the Fifth Brigade to target mainly supporters of Zapu led by late national hero Joshua Nkomo.

mugabe described the killings as a moment of madness, but refused to apologise until he died in 2019, two years after he was ousted in a coup engineered by mnangagwa.