President Mnangagwa will today meet civil society leaders
from Matabeleland here as part of a follow up to previous meetings revolving
around issues affecting the region, including dialogue towards finding closure
to the emotive Gukurahundi issue.
He arrived in Bulawayo yesterday evening for the meeting,
which is scheduled to take place at State House this morning. He is also
expected to launch the issuance of birth and death certificates for Gukurahundi
victims in due course.
The President is committed to holding robust discussions
with Matabeleland civic groups, stressing the need for national cohesion and
collective efforts in taking the country forward.
In line with the New Dispensation’s thrust of collective
engagement towards development, today’s meeting will see the President
interfacing with some organisations that had previously been hostile towards
the Government, expressing commitment to contribute towards the development of
the country.
The President has so far held two meetings with the civil
society under the Matabeleland Collective banner and a separate one with chiefs
to promote national healing.
Matabeleland Collective is a grouping of non-governmental
organisations, faith-based organisations, community-based organisations,
trusts, savings clubs and social movements from Bulawayo, Matabeleland North
and Matabeleland South.
Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting
Services, Mr Nick Mangwana, said President Mnangagwa was committed to the
finalisation of the Gukurahundi issue, among other developmental issues
affecting the Matabeleland region.
“There have been meetings regarding the engagements around
Matabeleland Collective such as marginalisation, Gukurahundi and development in
this region. This is a third engagement for His Excellency President Mnangagwa
and he will give an update on this whole journey and how we are moving
forward,” he said.
“However, most of the information will be available
tomorrow after the engagement itself.”
Mr Mangwana said despite the Covid-19 induced lockdown, the
President saw it fit to travel to Bulawayo to meet relevant stakeholders
involved in the discussions.
“This is a follow-up of a programme that has already
started and His Excellency does not start something and not see it to its
logical conclusion. The issue of Gukurahundi, past marginalisation within this
region is an issue which His Excellency is seized with and close to his heart,”
he said.
“Even under lockdown, he has decided that we need to
continue to follow through to see everything to finality and good end. The
President will give a speech tomorrow (today) and all the stakeholders will
also be able to talk to the media after the engagement itself.”
Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Mrs
Virginia Mabhiza, said there has been tremendous progress in the discussions.
She said President Mnangagwa will soon launch a programme
for the issuance of birth and death certificates for victims of Gukurahundi.
“The issues are mostly to do with birth and death
certificates for victims of Gukurahundi and we are also looking at the issue of
exhumations, which is currently being handled by the National Peace and
Reconciliation Commission. Our bigger vision is to conduct a launch and His
Excellency is going to launch the issuance of births and death certificates in
a province of his choice in Matabeleland. We are also looking into the issues
of exhumations,” she said.
“We are here as a follow-up to the July meeting and this is
basically a follow-up on issues that we have discussed with the civic society
based in Bulawayo. This is not about Gukurahundi issues only but other broader
developmental issues affecting the region. There is a lot of progress so far
around the issues under discussion.”
In his previous meetings, President Mnangagwa has hailed
the interaction which he described as the first of its kind in terms of social
dialogue.
Speaking on behalf of Matabeleland Collective, Ms Jenni
Williams, who is also director of Women of Zimbabwe Arise, said the grouping
was working to help citizens look ahead with hope and energy rather than looking
backward with sadness.
“We are meeting the President to discuss challenges around
our ongoing dialogue, which has been going on for two years now. The Minister
of Home Affairs was recently here on the same issues and we have now requested
the President to come and engage us so that we are able to deal with some of
the issues around the dialogue,” she said. Herald
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