Journalists urged to be Gukurahundi ‘privacy’ sensitive
By Dumisani Ndlovu
Journalists have been urged to be hyper sensitive to the privacy of families who will testify during the soon to be launched Gukurahundi Outreach programme in order to promote meaningful healing and peace, Deputy president of the Chiefs Council of Zimbabwe Fortune Charumbira has said.
He said his while addressing the ongoing Gukurahundi media sensitisation workshop in Bulawayo on Friday.
President Mnangagwa recently held a meeting at State House with traditional leaders drawn from Matebeleland North and South to finalise arrangements to commence the Gukurahundi outreach hearings.
The Second Republic has taken a position to interrogate the emotive Gukurahundi issue and bring closure to a sad chapter of the post-independence era in order entrench unity in the country and has entrusted traditional leaders to lead the process.
The Gukurahundi conflict occurred in the early 1980s and mostly affected the Matabeleland and parts of Midlands regions, ending with the signing of the Unity Accord between former President Robert Mugabe and his former deputy Joshua Nkomo in 1987.
“We are here to find ways of engaging the villagers.There is need to protect the privacy of individual families. The media should be sensitive to other issues of privacy.
“The ultimate objective is to promote peace and harmony among our people and find closure to the sad episode of Gukurahundi. We are also going to engage experts from countries such as Rwanda which also experienced such sad encounters but people are now united and living in a peaceful environment,” he said.
Charumbira said the workshop was part of the roadmap to eventually reach the survivors in the villages and he implored the media to be patient and let the affected speak for themselves.
He said the victims will speak in a safe environment in their areas and chiefs will have a role to ensure villagers within their jurisdiction will have their privacy protected to prevent strangers who will try to infiltrate the process for personal gains.
People who are willing to testify before committees should avail themselves in person as no virtual submissions will be allowed for those living outside their communities, he said, adding this will assist to collect correct data and eliminate infiltrators during the exercise.
Charumbira said there will be a window period of six months for those abroad to come and make their submissions before a 14-member panel led by a local chief.
“This a victim centred approach, it is the family that was affected that will make submission to that panel of 14 chaired by the Chief so the family cannot be hundred.
“This is not a ward rally so there will be no room for outsiders to come and infiltrate the process. It’s not a rally where we are inviting everybody to converge at a particular venue, it is specifically for those who were affected as a family,” he said.
He said affected families will be engaged in their communities, adding those who migrated should travel back to places where they lived during the disturbances.
“This won’t be a one-day event, probably 3 -6 months so if you can’t find two days in the six months to go back to Tsholotsho and present your case to your Chief then it becomes problematic,” he said.
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