Gweru- The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission has had its first successful meeting in the Southern region in Gweru after all their meetings in Matabeleland were disrupted by ‘toitoing’ Mthakwazi Republic Party youths disputing the composition of the commission.
BY DELICIOUS MATHUTHU
The meeting held at Chaplin High School Wednesday last week was the first productive meeting going for more than six hours as citizen representatives took turns in contributing their views and suggestions.
The meeting was also characterized by sad chronicles of the Gukurahundi massacres and Operation Murambatsvina atrocities.
Speaking on the sidelines of the hearing at Chaplin, Zimbabwe Christian Alliance Programmes Coordinator Mrs Runyararo Chilenje who has been monitoring the meetings in Matabeleland said Gweru is the first to have a productive meeting since the commission started in the region.
“We have been to Gwanda, Bulawayo and Lupane with the commission monitoring how they were carrying out their consultative meetings where there were disruptions with the Mthwakazi guys saying they are not happy with the composition of the commission.
“For me to say in Matabeleland we had a productive meeting like this one it will be a lie, so far its only in Chinhoi and Gweru from the meetings we have attended where we have had such constructive meetings,” Mrs Chilenje said.
NPRC Deputy Chairperson Mrs Lilian Chigwedere said despite the glitches they faced, the hearings are a first step towards a longer process of healing and giving a platform for the first time for people to air their views regardless of how they do it.
She said despite the problems and the meetings not lasting more than three hours some people managed to air their views and all concerns raised, including those of MRP Youth will be considered.
Citizens in the Midlands called for the reconstitution of the NPRC saying Zimbabwe should take a leaf from South African peace building process and let the church lead the way; also incorporating members from the civic society.
“The commission needs to rope in Christian organisations who have been working with the communities and church leaders who are already trusted and respected by the people.
“The commission has seen that they have been disruptions in Matabeleland and for the commission to be accepted they need to respond to the issues that were being raised.
“The commission needs to revisit those areas where there were disturbances as the locals like in Lupane were not happy with the way MRP Youths were behaving. The MRP youth were exercising their freedom of expression but were also infringing other people’s rights to be heard,” said Mrs Chilenje.
Some residents called for the arrest of all perpetrators of Gukurahundi and Murambatsvina starting from top government officials who they said were leading the atrocities and are fond of manipulating the justice system to protect themselves.
They urged government to give the commission arresting powers if peace and reconciliation is to see the light of day.
They also fingered Chiefs and Headman in the rural areas saying they have diverted from their role to meddle in politics serving as political agents perpetrating conflicts and divisions on behalf of political parties.
They said the commission should not waste resources with the hearings as they risk going the Dumbuchena, Chihambakwe and Catholic Commission on Justice and Peace (CCJP) reports way where nothing was done, but instead identify and concentrate on compensating victims of the conflicts.
Attendees also said the timing of the hearings might be political as they are opening old wounds with the nation facing elections soon.
MRP Youths who were disrupting the Matabeleland meetings argued that the commission was largely Shonas with Ndebeles who are the most affected being represented by one commissioner from the seven, Leslie Ncube who is a former Zanu PF party National Youth League Secretary for Economic Affairs and son of former Zanu PF Minister Abednico Ncube, a party accused of leading the conflicts.
The current NPRC commissioners include Deputy Chair commissioner Lillian Chigwedere, commissioners Leslie Ncube, Patience Chiradza,Geoffrey Chada, Choice Ndoro, Charles Masunungure and Godfrey Chekenyere.
