Govt committed to resolving Gukurahundi: Mnkandla

Source: Govt committed to resolving Gukurahundi: Mnkandla – Sunday News Feb 4, 2018

Mkhululi Sibanda, Assistant Editor
THE Government has always shown commitment in bringing closure to the matter of civil disturbances commonly known as Gukurahundi that affected Matabeleland and Midlands provinces in the 1980s with former President, Cde Robert Mugabe in 1999 committing a then large sum of ZW$10 million just for outreach programmes on the issue, Sunday News can reveal.

In an exclusive interview at his Bulawayo residence yesterday, a respected lawyer and veteran nationalist, Mr Johnson Mnkandla — who chaired a 17-member committee that comprised six chiefs drawn from Midlands and Matabeleland provinces, intellectuals, the clergy, academics and businesspeople formed to look into the 1980s civil disturbances — said he met Cde Mugabe in October 1999 at the State House in Bulawayo where the former Head of State showed no hesitation in dealing with the emotive issue.

“We approached former President Mugabe through the normal channels and it then happened that he was coming to Bulawayo for the memorial service of the late national hero, Cde Sikhwili Khohli Moyo at the Brethren-In-Christ Church on a Sunday.

“The former President then arrived in Bulawayo on the eve of that event and he invited our committee to State House. I went there for the meeting initially scheduled for one hour, but because of the commitment displayed in resolving the issue, we ended up taking three hours. Cde Mugabe asked us what should be done and I was honest enough with him that there was a need to acknowledge the episode. In that meeting the then President was in the company of the late former Governor of Matabeleland North, Welshman Mabhena. Also there was the late Ernest Mthunzi, a Zimbabwean who was based in the United Kingdom and worked closely with the late VP Joshua Nkomo on some businesses and had interests in the timber industry. It was then agreed during the meeting that the President would use the memorial service to speak about the issue and that is when he said that period was a moment of madness that should never be repeated. He was to repeat the exact words a year later at another service held for Dr Joshua Nkomo.”

Mr Mnkandla, who recently returned to the country after spending some years in the United Kingdom said although former President Mugabe did not say “I am sorry” to him (Mnkandla) the former Head of State who spoke on behalf of the Government was “remorseful enough”.

He said: “To me he was remorseful and very honest. It was during that meeting at State House that he at once committed a sum of ZW$10 million, which was good money in those days for our committee to embark on an outreach programme on the Gukurahundi issue. It was also during that meeting that he said since the national budget was a few weeks away, he will talk to the Finance Minister, who then was Dr Herbert Murerwa to include money for what ever needed to be done in areas that were affected.”

However, Mr Mnkandla believes all that good work fell flat because of the person who was chosen as the intermediary between his committee and the Government.

“During the State House meeting, Cde Mugabe said we should not end the meeting without choosing a person who was going to be the link between my committee and the Government. I then suggested Welshman Mabhena, but Cde Mugabe said Mabhena had pressing assignments given to him and then we settled for someone else (politician from Matabeleland). That is where disaster struck. I have to be honest, the intermediary sabotaged that good work. The documents that we had crafted never reached Cde Mugabe because of him. We ended up not getting the money that we had been promised. Even when I left for the United Kingdom my committee did not press on with the issue. The problem probably was from this side.”

Mr Mnkandla said while he has been encouraged by moves by the new Government led by President Mnangagwa in resolving the issue, all that could come to naught if the people picked for that task do not work hard.

Recently while in Davos, Switzerland President Mnangagwa said he had signed the National Peace and Reconciliation Bill into law to, among other issues, tackle the emotive issue.

“From past experience I think the Government was genuine in resolving the issue and it is now. However, the new Government should choose people who are honest enough and are not the touch me not types, I mean people who are not too elitist. The Government should go for people who are in touch with the ordinary people and sensitive to their feelings,” said Mr Mnkandla who spent nine years in Rhodesian prisons during the liberation struggle.

“We need people with independent minds and are honest enough to assist the Government. As a nation we should deal with this issue once and for all.”