#matebeleland

The past couple of months have seen the issue of Gukurahundi coming to the fore,  not least because of the way Prof Jonathan Moyo has been pursuing the issue. His motives are irrelevant for this blog but the more l came to read the stories the more questions l came up up. I also recently read the book Turmoil and Tenacity edited by Canaan Banana which had the likes of Robert Mugabe, Emerson Mnangagwa, Nathan Shamuyarira, Ngwabi Bhebhe, Didmus Mutasa and Joshua Nkomo contributing chapters. I highly encourage it for those who need some background context to the Gukurahundi issue as well as the details and events leading up to the 1987 Unity Accord. I also highly recommend reading Struggles within the Struggle by Masipula Sithole. This is because I believe it’s not possible to resolve the anguish caused by Gukurahundi, on both sides of the political / tribal divide without addressing the issues that led to Gukurahundi.

On social media I have seen some prominent personalities calling for a Commission of Enquiry or Truth and Reconciliation Commission or something along those lines. What I am not sure is what exactly is going to be the mandate of that Commission or body? Is it going to be modeled along the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission? Who is impartial enough to pick the Commissioners? Are we sure that we are going to have people coming forward and confessing or we are just going to hear the voices of the victims?

Assuming that all those questions are answered but what guarantee do we have that this Commission is going to achieve its mandate? Before we commit ourselves to a lengthy and probably costly exercise, how certain are we that this pursuit for openness and transparency won’t open some old wounds and have exactly the opposite effect of we intend to achieve? Suppose we come to the conclusion that the Commission is not going to achieve its objectives, what Plan B do we have?

Having a Ndebele mother and Shona father and having lived for a prolonged period in the Midlands period amongst both the Ndebele and Shona (yeah I know the issue goes beyond the Ndebele and Shona and some groups like the Kalanga were equally affected and ‘Shona’ is a loose representation of multiple tribes and dialects but for the purpose of this thesis let’s maintain the Shona / Ndebele dichotomy), I guess I have come to some unpalatable conclusions.  First, Shona / Ndebele tensions goes way before Gukurahundi and Masipula Sithole provides a decent expose (I don’t like his portrayal of Ndabaningi Sithole as a victim of Machiavellian plots but that’s a story for another day) of the way tribal relations shaped the liberation struggle and still continue to dominate contemporary politics. Phrased diffently, tribal politics and balances and alliance are never far from the surface in Zimbabwean politics. My thesis is that Gukurahundi was the outcome of a festering problem which had been simmering for some time and attempting to look and resolve Gukurahundi in isolation of the attendant variables leading up to it will most likely be a fruitless exercise. There is need to get to the reason why we always fall apart along tribal lines whenever the tribal dichotomy comes up. Joshua Nkomo is on record as having said the reason why he wanted ZAPU and ZANU to participate in the 1980 elections as the Patriotic Front was to avoid a civil war in Zimbabwe. Even before the elections the war clouds were gathering. Conflict was inevitable. This is precisely what I believe need to be addressed before coming to the Gukurahundi issue.

Secondly, I have come to realize that, unfortunately for young Zimbabweans growing up in Harare without having visited Bulawayo, or vice verse, there is so much that is unknown. Whatever that passes for hard truths, upon which some of the hate, bitterness and intolerance is based, is nothing but urban myths, half truths and deliberate misrepresentation of facts. How can we convince the Shona youths that Ndebeles in Matebeleland don’t walk around with knives to stab you the moment you are seen walking with a Ndebele girl? How can we convince the Ndebele youths that money is not collected in Matebeleland to go and “develop” Harare? How can we convince the elders with relevant information to pass it along and debunk some of these myths that so much  bitterness feeds upon? Most importantly, who perpetuated these myths and half truths and what constituency were they serving? How confident are we that these people or groups won’t sabotage the national healing process?

Third, I have no doubt that the victims of Gukurahundi needs healing. Unfortunately at the moment the waters are muddied. How can we identify the genuine victim in need of redress from the armchair activist pursuing a different agenda? Can we say with certainty that the people of Matebeleland and Midlands speaks with one voice when it comes to how they want the redress handled? If not, what are the different voices? Who are the champions for these different voices? If they are speaking with one voice, what is the voice saying? Are there impartial personalities who can be relied upon to speak on behalf of the victims without letting their own opinions, perceptions and prejudices cloud the whole process?

One of the sticking points about Gukurahundi is that so much is said about the victims of the 5th Brigade and very little is said about the victims of the dissidents. They might have been fewer but that doesn’t make them insignificant. They are victims of a tumultuous period in our country. Who represents these victims? Can they be treated the same as victims of the 5th Brigade? If not, why? Are there victims more important than others? 

Lastly, just as I mentioned earlier, the Gukurahundi always leaves me with more questions than answers and I am convinced I’m not alone. I am sure no one person has all the answers. The fact that government has withheld the Chihambakwe and Dumbutshena reports has not helped matters. I hope this should caution us against speaking authoritatively and emotionally on a subject we know very little about. I sincerely hope no one will attempt to write a book on Gukurahundi in the near future because, with the current paucity of information on the subject and the emotions that the subject evokes, that will be very irresponsible. I don’t see how that can be anything but a pursuit towards narrow interests. The Gukurahundi issue has become so divisive and polarized that it’s difficult to advance a viewpoint without attracting unnecessary flak (I’m mentally bracing myself right now😀😀). Sincerely, I hope this simple blog will contribute to some meaningful conversation and will be viewed as a genuine solution-seeking pursuit rather than advancing the goals and arguments of one group.