The Gukurahundi community hearings appear to have started quietly in some parts of Matabeleland, but victims and local leaders say the process feels incomplete and one-sided, as those who carried out the violence are not held to account.
Although the hearings were meant to begin on June 26, they only started recently under the leadership of traditional leaders, following a delay attributed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s conflicting engagements on that date as the reason for the postponement.
Now, the process has commenced with local chiefs presiding, supported by a 14-member panel comprising elders, youth, women, counsellors, and religious leaders.
In one such example, CITE visited Khozi Village in Ward 6, Gwanda North on Wednesday, where villagers gathered at Khozi Shopping Centre waiting for Chief Mathema and his panel to arrive.
Travelling in a commuter omnibus, Chief Mathema and his team conducted the hearings in open spaces, visiting sick and elderly individuals in their homes who were unable to walk to the venue.
CITE did not attend the actual hearings as stipulated by the National Chiefs Council but established that the chief had allocated three full days to collect testimonies from villagers, to make sure everyone had a chance to speak before the panel moved to the next village.
On the first day, attendance was reportedly overwhelming.
While villagers acknowledged the effort made by the chief and his panel, many said they were uneasy about a critical omission in the government’s process, which was the absence of those who perpetrated the atrocities.
“We have people who have come to interview us about the Gukurahundi era, which occurred in 1984. Chief Mathema brought his panel, sent by the government, to record our testimonies. Of course, what happened to us was very bad, but we managed to share our stories,” said one villager who asked for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
“But we are not happy, because now they are reminding us of things we had tried to forget. Some of us lost our parents, relatives, and neighbours. What the panel is doing is okay, but it’s not complete. The people who actually came and tortured and killed us are not being interviewed. We knew some of their names and faces. The government should have also called them. They should come and apologise.”
Another community member said some of the soldiers who committed the atrocities may have used false identities.
“We never knew if those were real names. Some called themselves Shumba, Tawenga, Ncube or Tshuma but you could tell from the language that they weren’t local. Some were clearly from Mashonaland. Now we’re giving reports, but we don’t know if they’ll come out as we gave them.”
Some of the participants praised Chief Mathema for creating a safe and respectful space for dialogue.
“When the chief arrived with the panel, he told us we must see him as one of us. He allowed people to speak freely, even offering private sessions. Everyone introduced themselves and explained their roles. The environment felt supportive, even though it was emotionally painful,” a local leader told CITE.
“Some women cried as they spoke. You could see people mourning again. Some relatives are still missing to this day. We don’t know where they were buried.”
Still, there was a lingering sense of bitterness and scepticism from the community.
“This should have happened a long time ago. It’s been over 40 years. If someone had come back then to say, ‘we’re sorry for what happened’, we might have accepted it. Now, after all this time, they’re asking us to talk but those who caused this pain are silent.”
Another speaker said the exercise was a step forward but lacked fairness.
“Yes, at least we’re talking about it. Sometimes talking helps release the pain. But the people who committed these atrocities must also be held accountable. Why is the government hiding them? They’re still alive. They should come forward and be interviewed. There must be balance, both the victims and the perpetrators must speak,” said the villager.
“We’re telling our stories. But those who caused the pain must apologise. Only then can we find true peace and unity.”
Another emotional account came from an elderly male participant who had lost children during the massacres.
“My three children, boys were killed. Some people were burnt inside homes. Others were thrown in holes and shot. Even one of the interviewers knows my situation. But who sent the soldiers? That’s who we need to hear from. Let them come and explain. Let them say, ‘this happened, and we are sorry,’” said the participant,
“We have grandmothers who cannot walk because they were beaten from head to toe. Now they suffer from spinal injuries. Who will comfort us? Who will say sorry and mean it?”
The hearings in Khozi, like others expected across Matabeleland, are part of a government initiative to document and acknowledge the atrocities of the early 1980s, when the Fifth Brigade was deployed in a counter-insurgency operation that led to the deaths of an estimated 20 000 civilians, mostly from the Ndebele ethnic group.
While President Mnangagwa has endorsed the traditional leadership-led process as a means to foster peace and reconciliation, critics argue that without direct involvement or accountability from state agents and military officials, the effort risks becoming a symbolic gesture rather than a true healing process.
Those who spoke to CITE said they want the outcome of these reports to be made public and for the truth to be acknowledged transparently.
“We want to see the results of the reports we’re giving. If it’s being done in good faith, let them show us the outcome. Let justice be balanced,” said one villager.