For immediate release

London; 10/12/09

Zanu Pf attempts to muzzle Gukurahundi truth will not work.

Today is international Human Rights Day.  Mthwakazi Action Group on Genocide in Matabeleland and Midlands (MAGGEMM) joins the rest of the world in marking this important day, which this year is themed ‘Embrace Diversity, End Discrimination’.

Today as ever, Zimbabwe is still in the grip of Zanu Pf, even though there is a political power-sharing arrangement in the form of the Global Political Arrangement (GPA) under which the one-party government structure of the past 30 years is supposed to be dismantled.  In particular reference to human rights, Zimbabwe is still characterised by limited, if not non-existent human rights for its citizens.  The country cannot be said to be a tolerant country even as it begins the slow and painful journey towards reconstruction and renewal.  A stark reminder of Zanu Pf’s intolerance of truth was served today when, according to Zimdiaspora newspaper, intelligence officers in Zimbabwe launched an investigation into Magodonga Mahlangu’s trip to the United States last month where she received the 2009 Robert F Kennedy Award.

Mahlangu told President Barack Obama about her family’s loss at the hands of the 5^th Brigade and that, according to Zanu Pf, is a crime she must be punished for.  Is Zanu Pf therefore implying that the many thousands of gukurahundi victims in Matabeleland and Midlands who, like Mahlangu, lost loved ones should not demand truth and justice, otherwise they will be punished?   Zanu Pf is playing a dangerous game which, rather than promote the values of openness, tolerance and justice, further entrenches polarisation and divisions within Zimbabwean society.

MAGGEMM applauds Mahlangu’s bravery when she specifically highlighted the Gukurahundi massacres in her discussions with president Obama.  We also welcome president Obama’s acknowledgement of the massacres when he addressed guests at the award ceremony in honour of Mahlangu and Jenni Williams.  As we say in MAGGEMM, “Ayipheli, Ngekiphele Lendaba” and it is therefore the duty of all the people of Matabeleland and Midlands to make sure that the silence over Gukurahundi is broken.  Almost 30 years on, victims of gukurahundi are still living with the trauma alone and forgotten.

It fills us with concern when we read reports of a state-sponsored campaign to silence Mahlangu since her return to Zimbabwe.  It is proof, if proof were needed, that Zanu Pf is still resolute in its attempts to control public opinion in Zimbabwe and keep gukurahundi out of public discourse at all costs.  This, however, is not surprising given the fact that Zanu Pf and Robert Mugabe have never accounted for their role in the massacres.  Instead, they have devoted huge amounts of time and energy towards denying truth and justice to victims of gukurahundi.  Mugabe and Zanu pf continue to impose limits on gukurahundi discourse while at the same time appropriating victims’ narrative for their own selfish ends.  It therefore remains to be seen how the GPA is going to hold Zanu Pf accountable for actions that seek to undermine the spirit and letter of the agreement.

So, as we commemorate International Human Rights Day today, we must guard against forces that seek to undermine or altogether discard the values of freedom, openness and tolerance.  Victims of gukurahundi and other human rights abuses in Zimbabwe have a right to know the truth about their loved ones who were tortured, maimed and killed for no reason other than to hold a different opinion or belong to a different cultural group.

Notes:

1. Mthwakazi Action Group on Genocide in Matabeleland and Midlands (MAGGEMM) is a not-for-profit group campaigning for redress on behalf of victims of the Gukurahundi genocide in Zimbabwe.

2. Gukurahundi is a Shona word which means “the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains” and was the codename for the government military operation in Matabeleland and Midlands between 1982 and 1988.

3. At least 20,000 people were massacred during the Gukurahundi campaign. For more information, please contact Mpho Ncube (ncube@maggemm.co.uk), telephone 07776326521 or visit www.maggemm.co.uk