Jenni Williams, Chairperson of Matabeleland collective came out to explain the Gukurahundi processes on the Ezra Sibanda TouTube Channel. She explained that Matabeleland Collective will start going into the communities this week to kick start the process.
Here is the Summary of the discussion between Jenni Williams and Ezra Sibanda
1. Matabeleland Collective is a grouping of churches and civic organisations
2. On 2 December 2017 Matabeleland collective held a people’s convention
3. A new Approach for the people of Matabeleland called Equalization was defined
4. People’s convention asked Matabeleland Collective to Approach Mnangagwa
5. The purpose of approaching Mnagwagwa was to unlock development and end the new Gukurahundi
6. The Matabeleland Collective compedium document was developed
7. A meeting With Mnangagwa was granted after 2 years
8. Zimbabwe did not have a Rwanda style Genocide
9. Zimbabwe style genocide was not tribal, it was a deployment of an army by a government
Actions
Government presented an implementation matrix on 9 April 2019
Next Steps
– This week Matabeleland Collective is going into the communities
– In the next few weeks, there will be a gathering of Chiefs, Civic Organisations and Churches which will be addressed by Mnangagwa
– Other groups must come and join and help with the process
– There has to be compensation and reparations
– Mnangagwa Must Acknowledge that the 5th was deployed by government
– An Apology is a separate issue. Mnangagwa said people should engage with care
– Locals should benefit from employment in local mines, get reserved areas in parks for chalets, Allocation of land
– Document issues such as wrong surnames, missing persons and wrong caused of death need to be addressed.
– Cultural issues need to be addressed that are affecting the perpetrators
Other Issues
– There is too much internal fighting among Matabeleland groups
– There is fear in communities which was instilled during Gukurahundi
Funding
– Matabeleland Collective is not being funded by government
– Matabeleland collective is also not being funded by people who want to dictate the approach
Conclusion
– Matabeleland Collective does not want to dictate the full approach of how Gukurahundi should be dealt with because then there will be no healing
– After the low hanging fruit is done ( Exhumation and Documents), there will be another phase led by traditional leaders.
– Issues relating to Justice will have to come from the victims themselves. Matabeleland collective started the initiative and everyone should get involved.
