Church commends President for Gukurahundi hearings

Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter

THE Roman Catholic Church has commended President Mnangagwa for taking bold and deliberate steps towards finding a lasting solution to the Gukurahundi issue and fostering national unity.

President Mnangagwa requested traditional leaders to lead the process while other important stakeholders as the church have not been left out. The initial process is set to see chiefs conducting public hearings in the areas that were affected by Gukurahundi to heal the community wounds and promote national healing. 

In an interview, Archbishop Alex Thomas of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bulawayo commended President Mnangagwa for opening up space for the discussion of the Gukurahundi issue.

“This incident happened over 40 years ago and the people of Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North and Midlands have been seeking closure to the incident because many people were affected and they are in pain and have great wounds. 

“Families lost members and a solution was never sought to have closure to the painful experiences. What is good now is that President Mnangagwa has opened a way for discussion to find a solution to the whole issue. I am not sure what will come up but at least there is a way of talking about it openly and it is our wish that this gets to a final solution and people can be assisted emotionally, spiritually and materially so that we can say now this is over, let us move forward with the development of our people, let us live in peace, in harmony and in the true spirit of reconciliation,” said Archbishop Thomas.

He said as a church, they have offered what they could to find a solution and were happy that now it has been handed over to the chiefs. 

“As a church our role is in the spiritual and emotional assistance of the people. People need spiritual assistance; our people need counselling in dealing with this emotional trauma. We are available to assist the people and the chiefs in any way if we are requested to,” said Archbishop Thomas.

A total of 72 chiefs comprising 41 chiefs from Matabeleland North and 31 Matabeleland South and 144 rapporteurs from 14 districts in both provinces were trained in the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) devices. 

Chiefs, rapporteurs and panel members underwent extensive training encompassing conflict resolution, historical context and advanced communication techniques in order to enhance their understanding of the community engagement process. 

The traditional leaders recently asked President Mnangagwa to launch the Gukurahundi community hearings programme in Gwanda, Matabeleland South, while expressing their eagerness to promote reconciliation and national unity through the initiative. The launch is expected to be held in the first quarter of the year.

A number of church leaders from various churches have attended some of the gatherings hosted by President Mnangagwa on the Gukurahundi issue. — @nyeve14