New-look MAGGEMM website unveiled.

Today we relaunch our website after conducting a 3-month organisational review. As before, the website is dedicated to all those who were physically and mentally harmed and those who died during the Gukurahundi genocide of 1982-88 in Zimbabwe.

The new website is a departure from the old information-laden model to one more reflective of our strength as an organisation – Grassroots Advocacy and Campaign.  So, no longer are there tens of pages full of information but rather hard-hitting, quick to the point articles that focus on the real and immediate issues of concern for the victims of Gukurahundi.  We start off with Playwright and winner of the Orient Global Freedom to Create Prize Cont Mhlanga who controversially argues that Joshua Nkomo and Zapu should have done more to prevent Gukurahundi.

Transitional justice researcher and former Bulawayo Chronicle chief reporter Admore Tshuma, argues that Mugabe must be prosecuted for Gukurahundi and ‘social genocide’ in Zimbabwe  while poet and actor Clement Moyo gives a rare interview.

Also, where previously we said MAGGEMM is not a political party, today we say our politics is human rights and human rights are our politics.

What MAGGEMM is about, therefore, is simply to facilitate and sustain open, victim-led dialogue in order to help heal the wounds left by Gukurahundi. No doubt, some people will prefer the “comfort” of self-censorship or silence, to open dialogue. We say to them, to talk about Gukurahundi is not to “open old wounds” as our detractors will say and in any case, the wounds have never healed.  Some 12 years ago, the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJP), broke the silence over Gukurahundi when it published the report Breaking the Silence, Building True Peace.  However, the silence continues to this day, it has never been lifted and we therefore call upon each and every one of you to participate in this dialogue so that the secrecy veil is lifted and we get to know what happened. The right to know is a fundamental right which is being denied to victims of Gukurahundi.

Even if, for whatever reason, you do not agree with our work, please forward details of our website to someone you know who might be interested. If you agree with us, please get in touch with suggestions for improvements of our programmes, research papers or whatever help you can offer.

Siyabonga/Toboka/Thank You

Mpho Ncube

Director of Communications

Mthwakazi Action Group on Genocide in Matabeleland and Midlands

(MAGGEMM)