Gukurahundi: Mujuru vows solution

Former vice president Joice Mujuru addresses supporters in Bulawayo on Saturday

Addressing about 2,000 supporters at Stanley Hall on Saturday, Mujuru promised to deal with the controversial issue.

Mujuru was accompanied by the party`s interim national coordinator, Dzikamai Mavhaire and former cabinet minister Sylvester Nguni among others.

However, other top officials such as Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo were absent.

The ex-VP tried but struggled with some Ndebele words which did not enthuse sections of the crowd while her interpreter drew boos when he misinterpreted sections of her speech.

But the former vice president was cheered when she talked about the ailing economy, corruption and Gukurahundi.

“Our country is struggling to deal with the problems that arose as a result of the disturbances that we had before independence and after,” she said.

“We want ensure that we bring unity among Zimbabweans. We have many adults who have no national identity cards due to the post-independence disturbances.

“This is part of what has made us come to Bulawayo for this rally.”

The Gukurahundi massacres saw some 20,000 civilians killed when then Prime Minister Robert Mugabe deployed a specially trained army unit after dissidents in the Matebeleland and Midlands regions in the early 1980s.

Anger remains over the atrocities which Mugabe has refused to address with fears the issue could plunge the country into further conflict when the Zanu PF strongman leaves office.

Mugabe has not apologised for the killings and his government has done nothing to address the concerns of victims and survivors, with little prospect alleged perpetrators will be made accountable.

Recently, the 92-yeard-old leader curiously warned that moves by war veterans to ensure vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa succeeds him would lead to a similar conflict.

Meanwhile, while promising to bring closure to victims and survivors of the atrocities, Mujuru said her first priority was to unseat Mugabe.

She challenged opposition political parties to put aside their differences and join hands to remove Mugabe and his Zanu PF party from power.

“As opposition parties we should maximise on similarities with other democratic forces,” she said.

“We should find where we are missing each other and where we are finding each other. Why should we spend time as leaders fighting for positions when people are suffering out there?”

Present at the rally were officials from the opposition People`s Democratic Party, led by the Secretary General, Gorden Moyo.

Mujuru also gave short shrift to Zanu PF’s claims that the collapse of the country’s economy was due to sanctions imposed by the West.

She said corruption was the real cancer affecting the country, adding that rampant graft and lack of government interest in curbing it had forced foreign investors to flee Zimbabwe.