Chiefs have asked President Emmerson Mnangagwa to apologise
for the 1980s army killings in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces during the
period known as Gukurahundi.
Mnangagwa met chiefs from the two provinces at the Bulawayo
State House on Friday, where Gukurahundi topped the agenda.
At least 20 000 people are suspected to have been massacred
and thousands were displaced during the reign of terror.
According to a 26-page document submitted by the chiefs
during a closed-door session, the affected communities expect an apology from
the president for the killings mainly committed by the North Korean- trained
Fifth Brigade.
“We believe that the entire Gukurahundi tragedy would
achieve a greater degree of closure or healing if accompanied by the
government’s official, full, unequivocal and public apology on this sad chapter
of our history,” reads part of the document obtained by The Standard.
“The government of the day reneged on its duty to protect
its citizens and instead turned upon a section of its own people.
“We are, therefore, calling on this government to
acknowledge and take responsibility for the actions of the previous
government.”
Mnangagwa, soon after taking over from former president
Robert Mugabe following a military coup in 2017, said he would only apologise
if the National Peace and Reconcialiation Commission, which is investigating
the killings, recommends that he does so.
The president, who was State Security minister during the
killings of mainly supporters of the late vice- president Joshua Nkomo between
1982 and 1987, has been accused of being one of the architects of the
atrocities.
Others are Agriculture minister Perrance Shiri, who was
commander of the Fifth Brigade, and Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga.
Mugabe came close to apologising for the atrocities when he
described them as a “moment of madness”.
The chiefs said the failure by government to take
responsibility for the killings sent wrong signals.
“Your Excellency, in the eyes of victims and survivors, it
is indisputable that the primary responsibility for Gukurahundi atrocities
rests with the state,” the chiefs added.
“While there were some non-state actors here and there such
as political party activists and dissidents of various descriptions who
committed gross violations of human rights and various types of crimes such as
acts of banditry, armed robbery, arson and rape, the Gukurahundi atrocities
were primarily committed by the state and its security institutions and
agencies and those acting on its behalf, or under its orders, or at its
instigation and incitement, or otherwise subcontracted by it.”
The document added: “It is these security institutions who,
instead of protecting innocent civilians, killed, raped, disappeared, starved
and tortured unarmed citizens, pillaged property, and committed gross
violations of human rights.”
Mnangagwa in March said the Gukurahundi killings must be
discussed openly and that the government would refacilitate reburials of
victims to help the affected communities find closure.
Chiefs said Mnangagwa’s government should not shirk
responsibility over the atrocities.
“The Gukurahundi atrocities may have taken place in the
1980s, but the pain continues and effects linger on and so does the
responsibility of the state,” they said.
“It is a fundamental principle of both domestic and
international law that the obligations of an entity at law do not terminate or
cease to exist in consequence of change of leadership.
“Just as much as Zimbabwe must benefit from the assets that
accrued under the previous government, it should in the same manner take
responsibility for the liabilities.
“Your Excellency, it is important to distinguish between an
official apology and a personal apology.
“Personal responsibility is irrelevant when considering an
official apology. It is not you apologising for your personal acts or
omissions, but the state apologising for the actions of its agencies.”
Meanwhile, Mnangagwa came face to face with divisions in
the Chiefs’ Council pitting its leader Fortune Charumbira and traditional
leaders from Matabeleland and Midlands over the Gukurahundi issue.
Mnangagwa revealed that the traditional leaders had
requested that Charumbira be barred from attending the closed-door engagement
as they ostensibly were uncomfortable, and felt intimidated by his presence.
So bad are the divisions that some traditional leaders from
Midlands were not invited to the gathering on tribal grounds — allegedly all
blamed on Charumbira’s doing — said Mnangagwa.
Charumbira, in his welcome remarks, had tried to leave the
meeting as tensions boiled over after claiming that he had a flight to catch to
attend a funeral in Swaziland.
“I have requested to speak because of some anomaly which I
have seen in this indaba. First, I was requested that the president of the
Chiefs’ Council when you give your grievances should be absent.
“I am saying as president of the Republic of Zimbabwe, we
need transparency, accountability so the president of the chiefs, Charumbira,
will remain here,” Mnangagwa said before the closed-door session with the
chiefs.
Mnangagwa queried the absence of some of the chiefs from
Midlands, charging that those present had been invited on tribal grounds, a
development he angrily spoke against.
Chiefs’ Council deputy president, Mtshane Khumalo, in his
closing remarks, weighed in saying traditional leaders were in support of the
president in forcing Charumbira to face accusations from disgruntled quarters
of traditional leaders. Standard
0 comments:
Post a Comment