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- Written by: Michael Sibangilizwe Nkomo
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Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) was at the forefront and actively participated in the liberation of our country, Zimbabwe, leading to the 1980 political independence. Shortly after our hard-earned independence a military operation codenamed Gukurahundi was launched via the Korean-trained Fifth Brigade, unleashed by the ZANU-led government of the day, ostensibly to eliminate armed dissidents purportedly working to topple the newly inaugurated government. From January 1982 to December 1987 over 40,000 unarmed civilians were wantonly massacred by the Fifth Brigade with collaboration of other security departments both official and unofficial.
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) estimated that over 20,000 people lost their lives, but their figure was conservative as it covered one district in Matabeleland North (Tsholotsho) and another in Matabeleland South (Matobo). Midlands Province as a whole was not considered. By all definitions, a genocide was committed by the ZANU-led government of Zimbabwe using primarily the Fifth Brigade which was directly answerable to the then Prime Minister, Robert Gabriel Mugabe, and no one else. The Fifth Brigade was created solely for Gukurahundi and disbanded with the signing of the Unity Accord on 22 December, 1987. Members of the Fifth Brigade were integrated into regular army units with many of them posing as gallant veterans of the liberation struggle, promoted and decorated by their Commander-in-Chief.
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Gukurahundi History
Gukurahundi: Upon reading some of the material, and from our evidence gathered - it is apparent to us that the term “Gukurahundi” fails to portray the absolute horrors of that genocide - the hunting down and brutal torture, murder of children, women and men folk by deranged psychopaths - all upon the orders of Mugabe, Mnangagwa and 'others'.
The term itself has been framed as an almost poetic “moment of madness” (Mugabe’s cynical words). This period wrought incomprehensible brutality that we in the West, and within the British Establishment can never fully understand. That period within Zimbabwe from 1983-1987 cannot be ignored, cannot be cured with “an apology” - it requires JUSTICE - because some of the perpetrators of that unimaginable genocide are alive today and within the current regime. Like the sword of Damaclease - it is still there - still an aberration - yet to see Justice.
No, Gukurahundi is not the correct description; it is from the same depraved psychosis that started this horrific genocide itself. It needs a new, fully descriptive terminology, one that we cannot yet construct in our minds