Civic society organisations (CSOs) have been complaining
that there is no movement towards resolving the issue that has been held in
abeyance since the 1980s.
More than 20 000 civilians from Matabeleland and the
Midlands provinces were killed in cold blood by the Fifth Brigade during the
1980s genocide.
Mnangagwa, who is expected to meet traditional leaders,
will be accompanied by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, Justice minister
Ziyambi Ziyambi and Local Government minister July Moyo.
Ziyambi confirmed the meeting to the State media on
Wednesday. Mnangagwa last met Bulawayo chiefs in October last year where he
held a series of meetings with them and promised to resolve the Gukurahundi
issue.
The late former President Robert Mugabe described the
massacres as “a moment of madness”.
Mnangagwa has failed to acknowledge wrongdoing by the government,
although he has initiated discussions around the issue.
Human rights activist Effie Ncube said: “This is an attempt
by the President to find a way out of Gukurahundi genocide accusations. He must
not lead the process because he was part of the government that committed the
genocide. The people of Matabeleland and Midlands are very clear. They want an
independent process led by the international community and the process must be
based on the search for truth and justice.”
Ncube said it boggled the mind that Mnangagwa appointed the
Motlanthe Commission in 2019 to look into the issue of the death of six people
in the July 2018 post-electoral violence, but since independence government has
failed to appoint a commission to look into the genocide where more than 20 000
people were killed.
Matabeleland Forum member Dumisani Nkomo said: “The demands
have always been clear that we want a legally-defined, victim-centred
truth-telling process, an independent body to facilitate the process and
compensatory development for affected regions, memorialisation through plaques
and Gukurahundi museums, and structural political and economic reforms such as
comprehensive devolution of power.” Newsday
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