Acting Zipra Chairman and retired army colonel Buster Magwizi has described the Government of National Unity (GNU)’s programme of National Healing, Integration and Reconciliation as ineffective, saying it has failed to restore peace and justice that victims of political violence hoped to get after the organ was formed almost three years ago.
The organ on national healing was formed at the inception of the GNU in 2008 with the aim of ensuring victims of political violence and perpetrators reconciled and lived together harmoniously.
However, on Thursday, Magwizi said the organ had proved to be useless since its inception because it had failed to make the victims and perpetrators meet to agree on a possible strategy of reconciliation and healing. He said the worst part of it was that incidents of violence were still prevalent, occuring under its nose.
“The organ is totally useless. Many people were against the programme being conducted by political parties (some of whom) they blamed for being perpetrators of violence.
But the GNU parties imposed themselves as custodians of the programme hence its failure” said Magwizi.
He said the organ does not have a clear programme that cascades down to the ordinary people.
“Their programme does not fulfill all the people’s concerns, but dwells on their parties’ interests” he said.
Magwizi said when Zipra made its investigations across the country, many people expressed disappointment at the organ’s failures.
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The retired colonel said Zipra recently decided to start its own programme of national healing considering the fact that most members of the organisation are victims of Gukurahundi which was unleashed by the then Zanu PF government in the 1980s.
Magwizi said main incidents of violence which needed to be addressed were the Gukurahundi, Operation Murambatsvina, year 2000 farm invasions and the pre-and-post election violence.