CONCERNS are mounting in the Matabeleland region over the delay in conducting Gukurahundi hearings, with stakeholders blaming funding gaps and lack of political commitment for slowing efforts to resolve one of the country’s most sensitive historical issues.
The second phase of community outreach hearings into the 1980s Gukurahundi atrocities was expected to begin in June, after the initial engagement phase ended in December last year.
The programme was officially launched by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in July 2024 in Bulawayo, with public testimonies beginning on June 26 last year, led by traditional leaders.
Stakeholders say the delay in rolling out the next phase are stalling efforts to conclude a process intended to promote national healing and address long-standing grievances linked to the violence in Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands.
Chief Khulumani Mathema said the programme was being slowed by financial constraints and lack of political commitment.
“There is no political will to bring closure to this emotive Gukurahundi issue because there is no budget. The perpetrators had a budget in carrying out the massacres but lack a budget for the hearings,” he said.
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“The time frame for completing the process is determined by the extent of the Gukurahundi impact. Some areas, such as Tsholotsho, experienced a larger impact, considering that people and their homes were destroyed compared to other areas like parts of Filabusi and Binga.
“There is no need to hurry, there must be profiling of cases. In some instances, people were raped, tortured and killed, which will require more time to capture all that information.”
The traditional leader added that in areas where there was a big impact, the process would take long.
Melusi Ndlovu, a victim from Tsholotsho, said survivors were fearful of speaking out.
“We were supposed to be engaged before these hearings, people expected an apology from the perpetrator first,” he said.
Another victim, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said communities were seeking compensation through development.
“We want equal access to our resources; we should be able to benefit from our local resources, better education and hospitals,’’ he said.
Despite the delay, reports indicate that the programme had recorded more than 25 000 testimonies by February 2026 across affected communities. The hearings are being conducted mainly in closed sessions to ensure confidentiality and the dignity of victims.
The hearings, led by traditional leaders in Matabeleland and the Midlands, are aimed at promoting national healing, addressing historical trauma and providing closure for survivors of the 1980s violence.
The government says the process is intended to allow victims to share their experiences, trace missing relatives and provide a guide on potential remedies, including reburials, issuance of identity documents and compensation.
However, the initiative has faced criticism from civil society groups and international observers, who argue that it lacks judicial accountability and a clear legal framework for restorative justice.
Government says entrusting the hearings to a panel of local chiefs rather than judicial or political bodies was designed to navigate the highly emotive subject within culturally respectful, community-led settings.
Critics have also raised concern about the role of Mnangagwa, who was State Security minister during the period of the killings.
Mnangagwa has previously described the hearings as a “transformative odyssey, a pilgrimage towards healing and national cohesion,” rather than a process for reopening old grievances.
Over 20 000 people were killed when 5 Brigade was deployed to quell disturbances, although critics allege it was part of a grand plan by Zanu PF to establish a one-party State.