ZAPU condemns Mnangagwa’s Gukurahudi outreach as a ‘public show’ amid ongoing delays
ZAPU has highlighted the ongoing delays in the Gukurahundi Outreach Programme as further proof that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s efforts are merely a “public show,” failing to address one of the most painful chapters in Zimbabwe’s history.
As the delays continue, the validity and effectiveness of the Gukurahundi Community Outreach Programme remains in question, with ZAPU Secretary General, Mthulisi Hanana, arguing that this validates the party’s earlier warnings that the process was flawed and ill-prepared from the outset.
Before the official launch of the hearings, ZAPU petitioned President Mnangagwa to halt the programme, arguing that it was divisive, exclusive, and lacked the necessary foundation to address the Gukurahundi atrocities effectively.
The Gukurahundi Community Outreach Programme, intended to facilitate national dialogue on the 1980s massacres, was officially launched on July 14, 2024, in Bulawayo, five years after it was first proposed.
However, Hanana asserted that the delays have now exposed the programme as a mere “public show” orchestrated by President Mnangagwa to deceive the public into believing progress was being made on the Gukurahundi issue.
“What we are seeing now is testament to what ZAPU has always been saying—that the government, or Mnangagwa as the chief perpetrator of Gukurahundi, is not ready or prepared to solve Gukurahundi,” said the ZAPU SG.
“Had the president been prepared, he would have, number one, listened to the views of stakeholders offering advice. Number two, he would not have adopted the approach of involving chiefs, because that’s not how genocides are resolved.”
Hanana further criticised the government’s logistical failures, noting that the delays are indicative of broader unpreparedness.
“Having chosen the wrong method of solving Gukurahundi, we are now seeing proof that he’s not prepared – logistically, administratively, legally, or in any other aspect. This shows Mnangagwa was never ready for this. It was all for aesthetics, a public show of pretending to address Gukurahundi when, in essence, nothing is being solved,” Hanana said.
He also pointed out that ironically, the programme would have likely proceeded had financial incentives been provided to participants, suggesting that some viewed the hearings as an opportunity to earn money rather than address the atrocities.
“This Gukurahundi process would have gone ahead if people had been given allowances and money, meaning some saw these hearings not as a chance to solve Gukurahundi but as an opportunity to make extra cash from an illegal programme,” Hanana added.
ZAPU’s criticisms come after the President of the National Chiefs Council, Chief Lucas Mtshane Khumalo, who will be spearheading the hearings, confirmed that the hearings had yet to commence due to unresolved logistical issues.
Chief Mtshane highlighted concerns over the adequacy of the budget allocated for the exercise, revealing that key logistical arrangements remain incomplete.
“No, I think they underestimated the budget for this process. It is not enough for the whole process and for what’s supposed to be on the ground,” said Chief Mtshane.
“The budget is there, but it is not enough to cater for all the requirements on the ground.”
