‘The blood of 20 000 Gukurahundi victims was not shed in vain , perpetrators are slowly starting to point fingers at each other’- Dabengwa ,

Zapu leader, Dumiso Dabengwa , has said the blood of the 20 000 people who were killed during the Gukurahundi era was not shed in vain as the perpetrators of the genocide are slowly starting to point fingers at each other.

Dabengwa was speaking at the Gukurahundi commemorations organised by pressure group, Ibhetshu LikaZulu, at Stanley Hall on Wednesday.

The former Zipra leader, who was jailed during Gukurahundi, said recent claims by Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa that he was not responsible for the genocide could be a precursor of many more revelations to come.

“We are living in strange times. Just look at how the perpetrators are now pointing fingers at each other,” he said.

Dabengwa was speaking at the Gukurahundi commemorations organised by pressure group, Ibhetshu LikaZulu, at Stanley Hall on Wednesday.

The former Zipra leader, who was jailed during Gukurahundi, said recent claims by Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa that he was not responsible for the genocide could be a precursor of many more revelations to come.

“We are living in strange times. Just look at how the perpetrators are now pointing fingers at each other,” he said.

“They have started to expose each other; the evil ones are now exposing each other. This is going to trouble them for a long time to come. The blood of 20 000 people was not shed in vain. They will tell us everything.”

Dabengwa said the truth of Gukurahundi must come out so that the nation can move forward.

“The Chihambakwe Commission report has not been made public. I have every reason to believe that that report is explosive. When I was released from prison I met some people who told me how they fearlessly told the commissioners about their experiences,” he said.

“We can see that those who had a hand in this genocide have now started exposing each other.

Mnangagwa has said he is not responsible for the killings as he was only involved in intelligence work.

He has pointed to [President] Robert Mugabe, [Defence minister] Sydney Sekeramayi and [Air Force Commander Air Marshal] Perrance Shiri.

I am sure the ears of these three are not closed. They heard him. They will respond. The people of Matabeleland should just keep pushing for the truth.”

Dabengwa said the Ibhetshu LikaZulu-organised commemorations have made him understand what could be the value of paying attention to December 22, as a holiday.

“I have never understood what this day means, but today I understand deeply,” he said. “As Zapu, we are quick to dismiss the day and say there is no unity in Zimbabwe. But gathering here today has brought another dimension to my understanding of this day.”

He added: “I have learnt that this is a day to mourn. We will be happy if this pressure group can lead us in teaching the whole nation that on this day everyone must mourn by putting on black. We will see those who are not interested in mourning the 20 000.”

The Ibhetshu LikaZulu secretary-general, Mbuso Fuzwayo, who won a last minute High Court ruling to use the historic Stanley Hall for the meeting, said it was callous of Zanu PF to force everyone to celebrate unity they were not part of.

“Uniting Zanu PF and PF Zapu is something else, and stopping the killing of the people of Matabeleland is another,” he said. “This is no ordinary holiday. It was not brought about by [the late Vice-President] Joshua Nkomo and Mugabe lifting each other’s hands up, but by the blood of the people of Matabeleland and Midlands.

This is not a day for weddings and fun, it is a day of mourning.”

Post-Independence Survival Trust leader Felix Mafa Sibanda said the Unity Day was a non-event to most Zimbabweans.

“It reminds the rest of us genocide, trauma caused by the 5 Brigade/Gukurahundi, where over 20 000 Zimbabweans were butchered in cold blood by the Zanu PF administration. We hold Zanu PF accountable for that dark era and it should never be repeated in a free Zimbabwe,” Sibanda said. source-newsday

Leave a Comment