The current generation of the people of Matabeleland has a duty to ensure justice is done over Gukurahundi, in which 20 000 lives were lost between 1982-87, National Healing co-minister Moses Mzila-Ndlovu has said.
Addressing 400 people at a Gukurahundi memorial service in South Africa on Saturday, Mzila-Ndlovu said contrary to assertions by some politicians, the Gukurahundi issue was not a closed chapter, adding perpetrators of the massacres should be brought to justice.
“The Gukurahundi genocide is not a closed chapter,” he said.
“In fact, Matabeleland is a crime scene and the evidence of this crime is there for all to see. Make sure that this crime is never buried and the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Mzila-Ndlovu said nobody else could seek justice for the Gukurahundi victims except the current generation of people of Matabeleland.
The memorial service was co-organised by the Gukurahundi Genocide Victims for Justice (GGV4J) and Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF) at Hillbrow Theatre in Johannesburg on Saturday.
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Methodist Church Bishop Paul Verryn, who also attended the service, said: “This event is the beginning of a journey for all those who want to see justice being done on the Gukurahundi genocide.
The blood of the Gukurahundi dead is speaking.” Chairperson of GGV4J, Magugu Khumalo, said there would be no closure to the Gukurahundi issue without reparations.
“Unless and until reparation is made and perpetrators are brought to book it will never be over,” she said.
MLF secretary for legal affairs Sabelo Ngwenya said: “MLF will continue with its international campaign for the arrest and prosecution of the Gukurahundi perpetrators.”