Gukurahundi genocide reduced to a regional issue, says Ibhetshu LikaZulu

The Gukurahundi genocide has been narrowly framed as a Matabeleland issue rather than a national concern, a move that has curtailed the matterโs deserved attention and scrutiny, says Ibhetshu LikaZulu, a Matabeleland-based pressure group.
Speaking during a discussion on CITEโs X Spaces current affairs programme, This Morning on Asakhe, on Tuesday, Ibhetshu LikaZulu Secretary General Mbuso Fuzwayo criticised the government for micromanaging the resolution process, excluding key regions and controlling the narrative to limit its reach.ย
Fuzwayo highlighted the exclusion of the Midlands province from the ongoing dialogue, despite its communities being equally affected during the Gukurahundi massacres of the 1980s.
READ: https://cite.org.zw/gukurahundi-hearings-launched-mnangagwa-distances-self-points-to-detractors/
โThatโs why today when they are trying to resolve it, it is the only time the president will come to Matabeleland but if it was a national subject like some of us have been saying it should be, the launch was supposed to be in the main State House in Harare but they want to confine it as a Matabeleland Midlands issue,โ he said.
The human rights activist alleged that Midlands, a cosmopolitan province with a mix of ethnic groups, has been deliberately excluded to shield President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who hails from that province.
โThe reason why Midlands is left out is because Emmerson hails from Midlands so he would always want to sideline Midlands because when you look at the pattern used, Gukurahundi targeted Ndebele speaking people,โ he said.
โGo to Silobela, in the purchase areas, there is a mix of people, you will find that the plots there have both Ndebele and Shona but the Fifth Brigade went to plots owned by Ndebele people and these are the people who were killed and violated.โ
Fuzwayo added the exclusion of Midlands from the resolution process reflects the governmentโs effort to avoid deeper scrutiny.
He argued the governmentโs approach has tribalised the genocide, framing it as a Matabeleland North and South issue while conveniently ignoring the atrocities committed in Midlands and other areas, including urban centres like Bulawayo and Gweru.
โNow how do you resolve Gukurahundi without appearing tribal? Without unmasking the combat? So you have to push out Midlands so that it is a Matabeleland North and South issue because if you were to say Matabeleland North there are areas that were never affected,โ he said.
READ: https://cite.org.zw/matland-still-waiting-for-gukurahundi-outreach/
โThe Fifth Brigade did not get to those areas but because you want it to appear like it is a provincial matter you will say areas like Binga was not affected and Hwange was not much affected but you know that in Zhombe, Lower Gwelo, Silobela and Vungu a lot of things happened even in Zvishavane and in Belingwe (Mberengwa).โ
The activist claimed the State wanted to micromanage how Gukurahundi was solved so that perpetrators avoid accountability.
โBecause you want to cover yourself, thatโs why Emmerson will always want to push out Midlands. Thatโs the reason why they never want it to be national,โ Fuzwayo said.
He cited the limited geographical reach of the current processes as a reflection of the governmentโs intent and criticised the governmentโs insistence on handling Gukurahundi through chiefs in rural areas, excluding urban communities and other affected regions.
โThe process they want to use now pushes out some communities that were affected. In Bulawayo, councillors and council staff experienced a lot of violations. There were people who were killed and enforceably disappeared,โ Fuzwayo said.
Fuzwayo said these restrictions effectively prevent a national reckoning by keeping the issue localised.
โA lot of people were kept at Stops Camp but they will say it is a chiefs process, anyone who wants to tell his story must go to his chief but there were violations that happened in Bulawayo, Gweru, Harare. But because you want to tribalise it, you will want it to be villagers so that other people donโt know,โ he said, arguing โZimbabweans need to know the truth, it must be a national subject.โ
Fuzwayo also pointed fingers at legislators and opposition parties for failing to champion Gukurahundi as a national issue, where opposition leaders only discuss the matter for political gain when campaigning in Matabeleland.
โIt is unfortunate that even legislators are not raising the subject. The other culprits are opposition parties. Legislators will behave that way because their top leadership donโt speak about Gukurahundi as a national subject but speak about it when they are in Matabeleland for votes not as a national problem,โ lamented the activist.
The lack of legislative pressure to elevate the issue to a national level has made Gukurahundi remain sidelined in parliamentary debates except for isolated voices, he added.
โThatโs why in Parliament it is only those who are coming from affected communities that usually raise it but there are some legislators from Mashonaland who have raised it like Temba Mliswa,โ Fuzwayo said, stressing the importance of involving all Zimbabweans in addressing Gukurahundi.
Fuzwayo suggested that people from other regions be encouraged to play a role in the process to have a sense of national ownership in the matter.
โThere has to be a lot of campaigns to say we need to allow everyone to participate.โ