Muzorewa Promises To Deliver Justice For Gukurahundi Victims
The leader of the United African National Council (UANC), Gwinyai Muzorewa, says he will deliver justice for Gukurahundi victims if he is elected the President of Zimbabwe in upcoming elections.
Gukurahundi is a term used for the killing of an estimated 20 000 people from the Ndebele ethnic group by the North Korean-trained 5th Brigade, an elite regiment of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, in Matabeleland and Midlands in the 1980s.
Addressing members of the media at a press briefing in Bulawayo on Friday, Muzorewa said the government should be able to provide financial compensation to the victims of Gukurahundi. CITE quoted Muzorewa as saying:
It is a pity that after 1980, the Zimbabwean government started to victimise its own people.
It pains my heart but that is the reality, that is what happened. It is not a rumor nor is it gossip.
What I believe that our party will do to make a difference is we will not continue to support the perpetrators.
What I would encourage people to do is to continue to look at other types of leadership.
Our party is committed to making a difference, not by bringing decisions from outside but by asking the affected people of Matabeleland to make decisions and recommendations about what they need.
After all, they are the ones who were hurt, you cannot expect the person who slapped you on one cheek to come and make you feel better.
If you are the one who hurt me, leave me alone. I must look for someone who’s going to be able to heal.
We need people in leadership positions from Matabeleland to hold influential offices so that, because they are the ones who were hurt, they can be able to put policies that make sense for the affected people.
The government should be able to compensate these people financially, emotionally and otherwise.
Apologising alone will never be enough. After apologizing, we need to begin the healing process.
The healing process is not forced. What heals is the spirit of humanity among us.
Muzorewa is a younger brother to the late former Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Prime Minister Bishop Abel Muzorewa who led the country between 1978 and 1979.
More: Pindula News
