http://www.swradioafrica.com/pages/breaking031008.htm
Breaking with the past: Zimbabwe’s Golden Opportunity?




By MAGGEMM: 3/10/08


Zanu Pf and the two MDC parties on September 15 formally signed a deal to enter into a coalition government of some sort, thereby giving much hope of respite to the long suffering people of Zimbabwe. In a document variously referred to as a “deal”, “agreement” and “constitution”, the three parties resolved to work together towards the betterment of Zimbabwe. Three weeks on, it still remains to be seen whether the three parties will obey the letter and spirit of the agreement. However, if the current deadlock or squabbling over the control of key ministries is anything to go by, there is not much hope of implementing the deal.

Mthwakazi Action Group on Genocide in Matabeleland and Midlands (MAGGEMM), alongside all peace loving peoples of the world, gives a cautious welcome to these latest developments in Zimbabwe. However, we need to first ask ourselves a far much deeper question which is; “Will Zimbabwe grasp this golden opportunity to finally break with the past?” Aside from the obvious political ramifications of the agreement, there are many reasons to be pessimistic about the possibility of a new, enlightened chapter in the political history of Zimbabwe being ushered in. At first glance, the agreement signed three weeks ago doesn’t offer much hope because for all the talk about pragmatism and vision, it has all the hallmarks of political expediency. There is a worrying theme that permeates all throughout the document and it is how much it has sought to trade in truth and justice for power.

The deal is essentially, more of a scramble for political power between the two MDCs and Zanu PF than it is a genuine attempt to break with the past and therefore herald in a new political culture in Zimbabwe. The deal is also ambiguous and vague on the question of post independence “conflicts”, only promising to “give consideration to the setting up of a mechanism to advise” on these matters. To call Gukurahundi a “conflict” is a wilful attempt to sanitise the genocide by implying that there were two or more groups engaged in open warfare against each other. Yet Gukurahundi was a one-sided military attack of defenceless and unarmed civilians by the state. What seems to be on offer in the deal is impunity dressed up as pragmatism, with the country once again being held hostage by those who have most to cover up.

The victims of Gukurahundi do not care much for whatever political reasons are given in order to justify this lock on truth and justice, imposed by politicians. What they want instead, is to see and hear a firm commitment to the pursuance of truth and justice so that the veil of secrecy around Gukurahundi and other human rights abuses in Zimbabwe is lifted once and for all. The people of Matabeleland and indeed other victims of state-sponsored atrocities over the years are resolute in what they want to see happen or what mechanism they would want applied so that their pain and sorrow is healed. The mechanism we at MAGGEMM propose is a Truth, Justice and Healing Commission (TJHC), which, by its very name, highlights and reflects the order of priorities for the victims of Gukurahundi.
We therefore call upon the political signatories to the agreement and politicians in Matabeleland in particular, to take advantage of the window of opportunity offered by this deal and demand that the Gukurahundi issue be revisited and addressed. More importantly, MAGGEMM urges the victims of Gukurahundi to unite behind our call for a TJHC to be established as a matter of urgency.

MAGGEMM believes that the three areas of truth, justice and healing are prerequisite for the building of a true and lasting peace in Zimbabwe. The victims of Gukurahundi should not therefore be frog-marched by mass psychology into yet another false dawn, á la 1987. In 1987, when a similar 'deal' was signed by politicians in the aftermath of Gukurahundi, the people of Matabeleland and Midlands had hoped that they would finally get to know what was done to their loved ones. Today, they are still waiting for truth, justice and healing.

We remain cautious because we cannot take anything for granted, especially as the 2008 political deal, much like its 1987 predecessor, seeks to invert the process of peace building by excluding those who have most to say about what the priorities are. We cannot leave the questions of truth, justice and healing to politicians and political processes alone – which is why MAGGEMM will continue to bring pressure to bear on the political class of Zimbabwe so that the people of Matabeleland and Midlands are not betrayed yet again.
The veil of state secrecy surrounding Gukurahundi must be lifted and there can be no better way to lift it than to publish the findings of the Dumbutshena and Chihambakwe reports. The right to know is a fundamental principle enshrined in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and whose breach by the government of Zimbabwe is a crime against the people of Matabeleland and Midlands. As a minimum, MAGGEMM is therefore calling for the immediate release of these two reports and the urgent setting up of a Truth, Justice and Healing Commission (TJHC).
Only when these steps are taken will we be optimistic about the possibility of a true and lasting peace in Zimbabwe.


Mthwakazi Action Group on Genocide in Matabeleland & Midlands (MAGGEMM)
http://www.maggemm.org
Tel: +44(0)777 632 6521

Mr MAGGEMM, the agreement does not deserve our tacit approval, it offers no window of opportunity at all. If you understand what is meant by "Power-sharing" then you will understand what this agreement is all about.

Baba Mthakathi, we welcome your criticism but nanzelela ukuthi your point is well taken care of in this statement:

'The deal is essentially, more of a scramble for political power between the two MDCs and Zanu PF than it is a genuine attempt to break with the past and therefore herald in a new political culture in Zimbabwe.'

I realise that you did not call them positive developments, neither did you refer to them as negative developments, but it suffice to say that anything welcome to any body should be a positive development.


Your call for political signatories to deal with this issue is a wise one, i agree with you 100%, but i am not sure that there is any window of opportunity that has arisen as result of signing this sellout agreement. Why am i saying that? Am i being unnecessarily pessimistic? The answer is, Maybe, but let us look at this from this angle, if we hope for Lovemore Moyo to do anything just because he is the Speaker we are fooling ourselves, and if we hope that Tswangirayi will seek to drag Mugabe and his friends to court for Human rights abuses we are grossly fooling ourselves. Tswangirayi is a known tribalist, and a very dangerous one for that matter. If the Welshman faction had some power we could have hope that they were going to influence the drafting of the constitution which would cater for the interests of Mthwakazi people. I see no window of opportunity, i might be blind but to say the truth, the agreement is the worst agreement ever craftyed against Mthwakazi in Zimbabwe, it is worse than the grand plan, it is the culmination of years of agitating against Mthwakazi. I might be pessimistic, naive and myopic but i see no window of opportunity, if there is any then it is surely an artificial window of opportunity. We need to create our own window of opportunities, rather than hope than the enemy will create windows of opportunities for us.

Mthakathi, far from our statement being tacit approval, it is a stinging rebuke of the whole thing. From the victims' point of view (which is where we speak from, the deal is unacceptable.

Look beyond just the MDC and/or Zanu politicians in Matabeleland. We're calling on all of our politicians across the party-political divide to rally behind our campaign for a Truth, Justice and Healing Commission (TJHC) which we'll explain in due course.

That way, we will achieve what you're calling for - ownership of our issues and campaigns.

Ayipheli, ngekiphele lendaba!