Mnangagwa Calls For British Apology And Reparations For Colonial Abuses
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has urged the British Government to issue an apology to Zimbabwe for a century of colonial rule that dispossessed indigenous people of their land and subjected them to various forms of abuse.
He also demanded reparations and restitution for the exploitation of Zimbabwe during the colonial period, which lasted from 1890 to 1980.
Mnangagwa made these remarks during the launch of a study initiated by the Zimbabwe National Elders Forum (ZNEF), titled “Land Displacements: The Untold Stories of Crimes, Injustices, Trauma, and Losses Experienced by Indigenous Zimbabweans During the Colonial Era (1890-1980): A Case for Reparations.” He said (via The Herald):
We have observed and indeed quite recently, as former colonial powers; the United Kingdom apologising to the Mau Mau of Kenya and Germany also apologising to the Mbanderu, Herero and Nama people of Namibia.
Therefore, we ask, when are the rest of us in the former colonies going to receive similar apologies from these people, the colonisers, the British? We wonder. We need it, they must apologise.
It is no secret that colonial violence was brutal and systematic and those of us old enough to tell the tale, still bear scars and associated trauma from the violence.
We remember this more than a century later because the residual effects of decades-long pain and bitterness are still real.
Indeed, we can no longer remain silent while our people carry the scars of a painful and cruel past.
Equally, the subject of reparations is not new but the calls for restitution continue to grow louder and louder.
The Zimbabwe National Elders Forum (ZNEF) comprises distinguished Zimbabweans from various sectors, including the clergy, academia, and business.
During his address, Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe is already compensating white former farmers for improvements made on farms that were redistributed by the State.
He asserted that it was the British who should have been the first to pay reparations to Zimbabwe, stating that such reparations could have been used to compensate the white farmers. Said Mnangagwa:
In retrospect, it is the colonial power that should have compensated Zimbabwe first and Zimbabwe then using part of the reparations to compensate the white former farmers for the improvements.
We realise that national healing will not be complete without the empathy similar to that accorded to the said farmers.
It is, therefore, important for our key knowledge industries and institutions to support this study by the Elders Forum so that we harvest as many enriching insights into the human experiences of colonialism and its aftermath.
The President assured ZNEF of government support and urged Zimbabweans, both at home and abroad, to back the initiative.
Professor Mandivamba Rukuni, an expert involved in the study, stated that the project would require at least US$5 million to cover costs such as travel and hiring experts.
The project has two main goals: to take the colonisers to court to win reparations and to demand a formal apology.
Prof. Rukuni said they have studied similar cases in Namibia and Kenya. By the time they are ready for litigation, they plan to hire top legal minds, not only in Zimbabwe but also in the colonizers’ jurisdictions.
The strategy involves finding them guilty in their own countries and in the countries of their allies, ensuring they are held accountable and compelled to pay, according to Prof. Rukuni.
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