The Sunday News
Limukani Ncube, Feature
In many countries traditional authorities play a pre-eminent role as mediators of any conflict. In general terms, traditional leaders especially chiefs bring disputing parties together and create an atmosphere in which they can resolve their differences, thus playing a mediatory role, all aimed at finding lasting peace.
Chiefs in the Matabeleland and Midlands provinces have been tasked by President Mngangagwa to lead in the Gukurahundi resolution process. The chiefs have been tasked to talk to their communities and find out what the burning issues are and how Government can step in to resolve whatever issue, so that the country moves forward from that emotive issue of post-independence political disturbances.
The call by the President to give that role to chiefs was a masterstroke, simply because chiefs are custodians and gatekeepers in any society. In fact, chiefs know the aspirations, fears as well as physical, spiritual and cultural needs of their people.
Chiefs also front the social and economic interests of their communities. They are part of the people and understand what the real issues are at grassroots level, as opposed to other organisations that come in as “them and us”. In addition, chiefs represent local communities and speak for and on behalf of locals, unlike civic society organisations or some political parties whose interests and purpose might be articulated from elsewhere, and therefore their interventions are tailor made to excite their handlers and not locals.
An academic based in South African, Dr Cetshwayo Mabhena said giving chiefs the leading role was befitting as chiefs hold the centre of people’s lives, tradition, customs and history.
“Chiefs are a custodian of a people’s history, they connect a people to their ancestors. Chiefs are a custodian of a people’s cultures and values. They are also the ones that keep a people’s memory. They are a custodian of traditions, rituals and rites of people.
They are also champions of a people’s culture, they monitor and preserve that. They know the spiritual, physical, social or economic needs of the people because their lives are grounded with the community.
So there are no fitting champions of engagement than chiefs, so its important to invest trust and leadership to them. Its a way of going back to how things were done in the past, its a way of involving the people. Lets not forget that chiefs are also custodians of knowledge of how people live daily. If you want to know how people live, feel or their desires, go through chiefs.
Chief are also not elected, they are not politicians, they are chiefs because of culture, so its a way of depolitisizing the whole process as opposed to using Non Governmental Organisations who might have their own agenda,” said Dr Mabhena.
T Rukuni (2015) adds that the guiding objective of the traditional justice system presided over by traditional leaders in Africa in general and in Zimbabwe in particular, is to restore peace and harmony within the community. This is done by ensuring that disputants and their respective supporters are reconciled.
It has been observed that at the heart of the traditional African adjudication system is the notion of reconciliation or the restoration of harmony. A local political analyst, Mr Tedius Ncube says it is instrumental that chiefs lead the Gukurahundi resolution process as they are mandated by the country’s constitution to preside over conflict resolution.
“Traditional leaders are highly respected, their input in conflict resolution should never be overlooked. Instead, it should be encouraged, facilitated and included especially in mediation to be able to have local ownership of peace processes. It is important to understand the scope of traditional authority in Zimbabwe. Firstly, traditional leaders have a constitutional mandate to promote peace building and national unity in Zimbabwe.
This role is clarified in Subsection 282 (e) of Zimbabwe’s constitution where it is stated that traditional leaders must work to resolve disputes amongst the people in their communities in accordance with customary law. It is further stated that traditional leaders are expected to exercise any other functions conferred or imposed on them by an Act of Parliament. Moreover, the constitution of Zimbabwe provides for the delivery of justice through customary law,” he said.
The centrality of traditional leaders in nation building is further cemented by that they fall under the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and are therefore the grassroots contacts for civil engagement especially for rural communities.
“As such any good public policy should pass through traditional leaders. The New Dispensation’s move to incorporate chiefs in topics like Gukurahundi, is a step in the right direction since it creates room for more community based conversations around the subject,” said Mr Ncube.
Deputy president of the National Council of Chiefs, Chief Mtshane Khumalo is on record as saying chiefs were going to develop a template to be used when engaging their communities and urged other interested parties to give the chiefs a chance to carry out their mandate without undue interference. After President Mnangagwa met chiefs in Bulawayo recently, it was resolved that “each chief will spearhead the resolution of the issue in their areas of jurisdiction.
The process will be victim-centred and will also involve key stakeholders engagement.”
Some of the issues victims of Gukurahundi have raised in the past were lack of identification particulars for children of people who died during that era, and lack of infrastructural development, as well as exhumations and reburials.
Nonetheless, some of the aspects have already been covered under the government socio-economic blueprint National Development Strategy 1, which has seen a considerable chunk of Devolution Funds being used for health, education and transport infrastructure.
