Gukurahundi hearings need everyone to build real unity

GUKURAHUNDI, based on the conflict between dissident gangs created, trained and infiltrated by the dying apartheid regime soon after independence and the new Zimbabwean security forces still undergoing training, is still a stain on the country’s post-independence progress because of the large number of civilians caught up in the conflict.

The military conflict ended after advanced training for Zimbabwean troops allowed far better operational efficiency with far lower levels of civilian casualties.

The political damage was largely repaired by the National Unity Accord between Zanu PF and PF Zapu in December 1987 and the consistent and earnest commitment since then to maintain the terms of that accord in spirit as well as the letter of the accord.

But that still leaves the individuals and communities caught up in the conflict. Since coming into office, President Mnangagwa has made it clear that he wants this resolved as far as is possible, with those who suffered allowed to speak out and obtain closure.

He believes, rightly, that Zimbabweans are mature enough to face the facts and that in the end, national unity will be enhanced by us, as a country, going through the process of full reconciliation that is required if this chapter is to be closed.

As the process was firmed up, the traditional chiefs of Matabeleland and those parts of Midlands subjected to the conflict were seen as the obvious leaders of the process.

Most were in the area either in office or as heirs apparent in the male-preference primogeniture that communities in the affected areas use for chiefly succession.

So they know what happened, and can ensure the public hearings bring out the unadorned truth.

At the same time, they have the trust of their communities, so people will not be afraid to speak up, and yet they have the authority to ensure that the truth is unadorned, and that attempts to add or subtract are resisted.

The hearings are not being conducted by outsiders, but by the communities themselves, and that is very important.

As a practical result of the succession process for chiefs in the areas, there are several women chiefs, and it has been noted that this will help when some women are appearing to give their testimony.

Zimbabwe does not want a “snow job” with efforts to cover up the events, nor does it want any adornment of the straight-forward facts and the evidence of experiences.

Matabeleland chiefs chairing the community hearings, and the staff and assessors they need, have been through a fairly rigorous training, the master handbook was prepared and circulated, and adequate resources made available.

Journalists covering the hearings have also been through a training process, again to ensure the unadorned truth is reported and that hearings are covered in full, an important point as similarities are spoken of as the hearings progress.

With everything in place President Mnangagwa went down to Bulawayo at the weekend to launch the formal hearing process at the State House there with the chiefs and the Attorney-General and her legal staff in attendance.

The President made it clear that he sees the hearings as part of nation building, and part of the practical progress he has already been making in developing national unity as a prime base of Zimbabwean life, with all Zimbabweans committed to each other, as well as to their country, regardless of any other factors, such as language or culture.

Again he speaks from a position of strength on this issue, having practically implemented his programmes to ensure no one and no place is left behind.

This has seen accelerated development initiatives in Matabeleland, where the danger of people being left behind was most serious. A lot of catching up has been done and is in progress.

There will of course be efforts by some outsiders and their “spin doctors” to make political capital out of the hearings.

Zimbabweans need to be careful of those attempts, and not join them.

We need to speak and we need to listen, and for those outside the west of the country there will be a lot of listening to do.

The result of the hearings is to build up national reconciliation as the starting point for enhanced national unity, right down to individual and community levels, so everyone needs to listen and absorb what is said, both those in the communities whose members will be giving evidence and those in the rest of the country.

This listening aspect for those who live outside what were the Gukurahundi zones is as important as the speaking aspects for those who were in the zones.

Those appearing before their chiefs are not just seeking closure by speaking out, but also want to be heard, to be understood, and that places a responsibility on the rest of us.

No one has ever assumed the process will be easy.

But it is, as President Mnangagwa has repeatedly stressed, very important as part of the general process of building up a nation, and building up one that rests on national unity in the essentials, although we can differ in so many ways including how we vote.

So we all have responsibilities as the hearings progress, to speak, to listen, to understand and then, where necessary, to act. The result will be a better Zimbabwe.