Zimbabwe Truth Commission: We're Proved Right Yet Again!
This blog has now been proved right yet again and this time it is on the envisaged Zimbabwe Truth and Reconciliation Committee (Morgan Tsvangirai prefers the title Truth and National Healing Commission).
Gorden Moyo, Minister of State in Prime Minister Tsvangirai's office, has confirmed to the Standard that Zimbabwe is to hold a "summit" in April in Bulawayo with other stakeholders in order to get a way forward on this process.
I told you about all this in my scoop entitled "Zimbabwe To Get Truth Commission", which was published on this blog last month, on 23 February, to be precise.
As I told you in that article, Mugabe has refused to include the Matabeleland Massacres of the 1980s in this process, telling the PM that Gukurahundi had "nothing to do with the MDC" and Tsvangirai has agreed to this.
The PM is obviously trying to make up for this betrayal of Matabeleland by holding the workshop in Bulawayo, the capital city of the Matabeleland region.
Interesting to see is the fact that my sources were also very accurate with regards to the fact that Mugabe has told Tsvangirai that Gukurahundi has nothing to do with the MDC. Hence, in the announcement made by Minister Gorden Moyo in The Standard today, the paper says the planned summit in Bulawayo will "explore ways of reconciling Zimbabweans divided by almost a decade of political".
This clearly rules out Gukurahundi. The focus will be on the violence meted out since the formation of the MDC. Mugabe has argued that when he joined hands with Joshua Nkomo in 1987, that ended the matter of Gukurahundi.
But even this "consultation" set for April is also a sham. Mugabe says on matters like this, "guided democracy is best."
What this means is that the Conference in April is simply for show. Gorden Moyo says the report from that Summit will be submitted to the Council of Ministers, chaired by Tsvangirai. This Council will, in turn, then submit its recommendations to Cabinet.
Effectively, then, the final format of this Truth Commission will be decided by Mugabe, who chairs cabinet. Because of his "guided democracy" belief, you can expect that this Commission will only take the form that Mugabe wants it to take.
As most of you know, no one has ever been prosecuted for the massacres of Gukurahundi and Mugabe wants the same to happen with the violence around the MDC, such as the one in the photo above.
There are some within MDC who are opposed to this "impunity" but Tsvangirai has such mastery over the MDC that his agreement with Mugabe will ensure that their voice never carries the day.
In effect therefore, this proposed Truth Commission is going to simply paper over the cracks. It is disappointing only because by papering over the issue instead of bringing closure to it, Mugabe and Tsvangirai will simply be handing a powder keg to future generation. The issues of Gukurahundi and the violence meted out to opposition supporters is bound to explode in the faces of future leaders of Zimbabwe.
Mugabe is reviled in Matabeleland and can never hope to win a majority there because Gukurahundi was never fully dealt with to bring closure for the people of the region. This time, he and Tsvangirai will repeat the same mistake and leave simmering hatred and resentment to be sorted out later by future leaders.
Still, I thought I would bring it to your attention that yest another scoop from this blog has now been proved correct.
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ReplyDeleteDenford! How are you able to blog from Zimbabwe? It's amazing that freedom of speech has advanced well in your country..I lived in Zaire, during the Mobutu years, around the early seventies...I was a kid then, I loved the place...I will write about my experiences...I also want to do a bloggers for Africa with blogcatalog, maybe you can help me?
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Marc
Hey Denford - how about going a bit further back to 1978 and discussing the Elim Mission massacre of innocent, defenseless British missionaries and their children by Mugabe's "freedom fighters".
ReplyDeleteLet alone the countless black innocent civilians raped, mutilated and murdered in the name of the "liberation struggle" when they were called Rhodesians.
Or did Mugabe just turn bad when the country became Zimbabwe?
Why dont you go back also to the period before independence the massacre of innocent refugees in Mozambique, Zambia and Botwsana by the rhodesians some of whom are still owning the biggest business in Zimbabwe.Then also to the time before that when the Bitish settlers forcibly took land from the blacks leading to the first Chimurenga. Also deal with the murder of Mbuya Nehanda. One of the few recorded women to be hanged in world history. Then before that to the period when Mzilikazi fleeing from Shaka came and brutalised peace loving people taking their women and raiding their cattle.
ReplyDeleteThe point is there are many injust periods in our History. Some have tried to be solved. The solutions might not have been perfect likethe Lancaster House agreement and the unity accord between ZAPU and ZANU.Some have just died a natural death like the Mzilikazi and first Chimurenga attrocities. The one outstanding one would be the violence we have witnessed in the past decade and as a nation we might have to cocentrate on that and set aprecedent on how we deal with issues for the future.
Why cant you be grateful that Mugabe and Nkomo were very reasonable to realise that they had made a mistake by plunging Zimbabwe into Civil war and decided to make peace before the war had spread to all parts of the country. Look at other African Countries ravaged by War Angola, Somalia, DRC and Sudan.
Yes Mugabe made a big mistake in Gukurahundi but let us be grateful that he managed to stop it in only four yes. We must also appreciate that some leaders in Matebeleland are deliberately sowing the seeds of disunity in Matebeleland based on tribal lines. They might get their due now but what will happen when there are tribal tensions civil war might break anytime. Who will you blame when 40 years from now when a tribal war breaks in Zimbabwe and Mugabe is long dead.
There will still be a Zimbabwe after Mugabe,Mutambara,Ncude, Tsvangirai, Dabengwa, Jonathan Moyo and Nyarota and Magora . Let us deliberately promote national healing programmes which will help our countries for generations to come. The ministry of Education could ensure that every child who goes to School from now on Should be able to speak all the official Zimbabwean Languages by the time they finish School.
Let us also ensure we speak both sides of any violent period that happened in our country. The story must also be told of the whole truth and not try to gain cheap propaganda against Mugabe. The Story must be also told of how just as an example the MDC is also to blame as is ZANU for the political Violence that has been in our country for the past 10 years. The story must also be told of those business people and politicians who played a hand in subbbotaging the Zimbabwean economy. The Zimbabweans who drafted ZIDERA on behalf of the American government coul also be mentioned.
I begin to be very suspicious of who exactly is behind all this commission this and commission that, atrocity this and atrocity that. A lot happened in Zimbabwe, terrible things, and not all were done by Mugabe and Zanu Pf, White settlers (to be candid "white illegal economic migrants)to Zimbabwe and their descendants committed despeakable injustices against black people, all forms of cruelty were applied on innocent black people, there has never been any mention of commission this or atrocity that, Is it because a certain race and class of people should be deemed infallible.
ReplyDeleteThe Ndebeles committed numerous despeakable acts of cruelty to the Shona, and yet you hear no discussion or debate or commission this or atrocity that from all quarters.
The dissidents committed the same evil, brutal acts against the Shonas, as those committed by the fifth brigade against them and their people, but there is no mention or at list a commission to dig out the truth about who was behind the dissidents so that they are also brought to account. All we hear is the exagerated and unfounded figure of 20 000 ndebeles killed, thats insane.
The MDC are equally culpable as Zanu PF regarding the violence that afflicted the nation, the destruction of the economy etc.
Zimbabweans should be left to map out their own way forward, to master their destiny.
Although I am very much against this animal called Truth and national healing commission, or whatever name they give it, I believe in the prosecution of offenders, the doctrine of restitution, deterrence and reformation, but when it appear as if the motive of other players is to incite and influence a campaign of hatred on one individual, then I will be forced to think otherwise.
People have to be very impartial on analysing the politics of Zimbabwe and in suggesting solutions. It is such unfairness like displayed by especially Zim's western detractors and their surrogates within the country that will force other fair minded people to behave radically and counter the unfairness with an equal or more dose of that stuff.
Yes, Vehondo, I remember well the massacres in Zambia and Mozambique. Several thousand freedom fighters in training met the Rhodesian army enemy a bit earlier than expected!
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what you are talking about in Botswana. But seeing as you were probably born in Zimbabwe, and not Rhodesia, I am sure you can come up with another fantasy your elders told you.
And under the evil white Rhodesian regime, every black child was taught English (you know, the language of world wide business) so they could be exploited by the white racist illegal immigrants by applying for and securing a job that paid them wages, so they could buy food from fully stocked supermarkets, buy bus tickets, bikes or cars to get to work, and an apartment or a home to return to for dinner with their families.
All while their property and their lives were protected by the police and the army consisting of black and white Rhodesians that had fought side by side in the trenches of France in WWI and the battlefields of Europe and Africa in WWII.
Yes, Vehondo, you were obviously born in Zimbabwe.
Rhodesia does seem like a fantasy land these days, but I assure you it really did exist.