Zapu blasts Munangagwa over Gukurahundi comments

Zapu finds Mr Munangagwa’s comments about Gukurahundi provocative, irresponsible and not fit to be uttered by someone who knows for sure that 20 000 innocent people lost their lives at the hands of the Fifth Brigade.

What makes his remarks more provocative is that they come from someone who played a key role in the execution of the genocide, and has never even bothered to say “I am sorry” to the people of Matabeleland and Midlands. Mr Munangagwa’s comments are tantamount to a criminal “acquitting” himself even before he has been arrested and tried.

Mr Munangwana’s tone is that “we killed you and you should thank us for stopping killing you”, in our view. His argument that the late Zapu leader, Dr Joshua Nkomo’s signature to the unity accord with Zanu-PF closed the Gukurahundi chapter is just wishful thinking by Mr Munangagwa. Dr Nkomo signed the unity accord to stop more killings, and not to bury what had already been done.

What else could he have done? In any case, Dr Nkomo signed on behalf of PF-Zapu, and never on behalf of the Ndebele tribe. Dr Nkomo led a party and not a tribe, and he understood that very well. In fact, most of the people killed, maimed, raped and tortured by Gukurahundi were never members of Zapu, but were targeted simply because of being Ndebele.

Mr Munangagwa also needs to know that John Nkomo, Simon Khaya Moyo, Cain Mathema, Naison Ndlovu and other ex-Zapu leaders still in Zanu-PF are doing so in their own individual capacity. They have no legitimacy whatsoever to represent anyone in Matabeleland or in Zapu, not even their own families.

Zapu wishes to make it clear to Mr Munangagwa and other Gukurahundi perpetrators that the chapter is far from being closed. Those “Gukurahundists” unfortunate enough to live until the next election should surely brace themselves to come face-to-face with the consequences of their actions. There can be no closure without truth, justice and meaningful healing and reconciliation.

Zapu also challenges Mr Munangagwa and the Chronicle to be bold enough next time and mention Zapu and its leader Dr Dumiso Dabengwa by name and not refer to “other political parties and leaders” as if they do not know who we are.

What are they afraid of? We know why Zapu and Dabengwa send shivers down their spines. Zapu is never for retribution but truth, compensation, healing and reconciliation. What Mr Munangagwa refers to as national healing is just a futile Zanu-PF project to hoodwink people. Sadly for them, no one has been hoodwinked.