They have begun by holding memorial services for some of the victims of the bloody 2008 election violence. Aided by Heal Zimbabwe Trust, an NGO that works with traumatised victims of violence, the villagers were able to finally remember their loved ones last week, in memorials held in several parts of the district. Before this the villagers had felt too intimidated to honour their dead, due to the ongoing violence in the district.
Rashid Mahiya, a director with Heal Zimbabwe Trust, said the memorial services were attended by the broader community of family members, traditional leaders, church members, victims and perpetrators of the 2008 political violence. The main objective of our Trust is to create an environment in local communities that is conducive for people to live together peacefully and to dialogue, Mahiya said. He said HZT worked with seven communities and families in Muzarabani North and South, in organising memorial services for Toas Gatsi, Master Kachuwaire, Tendai Chizengeya, Zondai Chipendeko, Givemore Kanodeweta, Charles Mutendebvure and Fana Dlamini. All the victims died at the height of the political massacres of June 2008.
The HZT director said last Thursday that the extent and nature of the violence was such that families and relatives were not given the opportunity to decently bury the deceased. He said the deceased had been given indecent and improper burials, contrary to traditional and religious beliefs. The communities also did attend the funerals, as is the custom. A survey done by HZT revealed that violence in Muzarabani was systematic and selective in nature. Ninety percent of the victims of the political violence were males, the main bread winners in their respective families.??
During the healing process last week, villagers, families and perpetrators of the violence heard the harrowing stories of the brutality with which victims were hacked to death with machetes or beaten into submission with knobkerries. The major challenge villagers face in Muzarabani is that communities still live in constant mistrust, fear and uncertainty. The victims of torture and violence fear continued victimisation and ponder ways and means of reducing their vulnerability. This is where government should come in and make its presence felt, through their national healing organ, Mahiya said. But he added that the National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration organ had done nothing and does not exist in the peoples eyes.
People need help. They need guidance because victims and perpetrators of violence, uncertain about their future are living in total disillusionment. ?For us, the starting point was to incorporate both victims and perpetrators to reduce tension between the two as a way of averting the resurgence of violence in future elections and political processes, Mahiya added. But many victims still want the perpetrators to be brought before the courts of law, and for justice to take its course.
Post published in: News