Healing Organ – a waste of tax payers’ money

Human rights activist and programmes manager for the Zimbabwe Youth Network, Ronald Jongwe, said the organ had failed dismally to bring restorative justice to communities that experienced unprecedented levels of politically motivated violence. Addressing delegates at a peace building and healing workshop organised by the network in Chitungwiza last week, Jongwe said the organ had also failed to create a frame work where-by those who perpetrated violence should own up, confess and face justice for their actions. In a no holds barred speech, Jongwe, castigated the three ministers of national healing for squandering much needed resources in conferences held in five star hotels instead of visiting and convening healing workshops in communities where the atrocities happened.

The ministers are Sekai Holland from the Movement of Democratic Change(MDC) headed by Morgan Tsvangirai and Gibson Sibanda from the small faction of the MDC, led by Arthur Mutambara. The third minister was John Nkomo who has since been elevated to the post of Vice President. “The Organ on National Healing and Reconciliation is a white elephant that has failed to help Zimbabweans. Today those who committed atrocities against innocent and peace loving people of this country have largely gone scot-free and have not even been made to ask for forgiveness from their victims, “he said. “As youths we are calling for the disbandment of this institution because it has failed to discharge its mandate. We cannot have a situation whereby people spend tax payers’ money doing nothing at the expense of victims of political violence who have not benefited from the healing programmes, “he added.

In his address to delegates, at the same gathering, Pastor Herbet Mugwagwa, painted a gloomy picture of Zimbabwe, saying it was a sick nation. “Zimbabwe needs courageous men and women of the cloth who can stand up and demand justice and peace. There can never be peace without justice. It also needs church leaders who are not afraid to rebuke and register their discontent against wayward politicians like what Desmond Tutu does in South Africa,” he said. Soon after the formation of the inclusive government in February last year, the government established an Organ of National Healing and Reconciliation to spear head a national healing and reconciliation programme throughout the 10 provinces in the country. This followed a decade of state sponsored violence against pro democracy activists and opposition supporters which claimed the lives of hundreds of activists and left some homeless and maimed for life.

Victims of political violence, human rights defenders, MDC-T politicians and some clergy men have, however, roundly dismissed this national healing institution as a useless body since those who killed, raped and brutalised their opponents were still roaming the streets and communities throughout the country almost over a year after its formation. MDC-T MP for Zaka central Harrison Mudzuri is on record as having called for a South African style “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” that gives victims a platform to narrate their ordeals and compel perpetrators of political violence to reach out and apologise to their victims.