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Gukurahundi Charlatans Must Be Ashamed!

A Gukurahundi memorial plaque was stolen a few days after it was installed in Silobela. Image by Zenzele Ndebele


By Our Reader | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | SEPT 5, 2021

‘Gukurahundi was a genocide, and just like all crimes against humanity, it must be addressed in our lifetime.’


SILOBELA (The Citizen Bulletin) — Barely a week after Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration pledged to address a 1980s state-sponsored genocide that claimed over 20 000 innocent civilians from Matabeleland and the Midlands provinces, the Gukurahundi charlatans are back with their theatrics.

On Wednesday, Sept 1, a local journalist and human rights champion Zenzele Ndebele, reported that a plague installed by Ibhetshu LikaZulu in Silobela, Midlands province, in memory of victims of the Matabeleland Genocide has been stolen.

This follows a similar incident which took place barely a month ago in Matobo, Matabeleland South.

Enough is enough! For how long will the state and its functionaries continue to take Gukurahundi victims for granted? For several decades, the perpetrators, who are ironically the leaders of the state today, have blown away all the chances of fixing the matter.


The latest act might be another serious dent to Mnangagwa’s sincerity following his recent deployment of chiefs to local communities to address the matter.


Before the latest incident, we, and several rights groups from our affected communities were already doubting the sincerity of the government to address the painful history of our lifetime. We believe throwing chiefs into the forefront is a ploy to exonerate Mnangagwa through burden-shifting.


Gukurahundi must be addressed by the perpetrators. And the perpetrators are in government, and that includes the head of state himself.


While we sympathize with Ibhetshu LikaZulu and likeminded groups that have continuously fought to address Gukurahundi, we believe it’s high time the groupings employ a different strategy to avoid being wrongly labelled by state sympathizers trying to cover up for their handlers.


While the theft of memorial plaques erected by the groupings will certainly not erase the genocide, repeat incidents may further inflict pain on victims and their relatives.


For this reason, we urge Ibhetshu LikaZulu and others to go back to the drawing board and emerge with a strategy that will keep the enemy at bay. Gukurahundi was a genocide, and just like all crimes against humanity, it must be addressed in our lifetime.


*The Local Fix is written by our active readers. Opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily represent our editorial ethos. If you’d like to contribute to the column send your article to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..