A SOMBRE atmosphere engulfed Mkhonyeni village in Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North province, as Mvuselelo Dlamini — who was a toddler during the Gukurahundi disturbances — returned home for the first time in 43 years.
His family was wiped out during the disturbances.
Dlamini attended a memorial service held in honour of 22 victims — 21 women and one man — who were burnt alive by the North Korea-trained 5 Brigade in 1983.
The victims were killed at his father Bhelekwana Dlamini’s, homestead.
His mother, Janet Msipha, was among those targeted, but survived after being warned to flee.
She died in 2012.
Msipha escaped with her children — eight-month-old Mvuselelo and his sister Patricia — while Dlamini’s father was killed alongside 10 other men who were rounded up from Mkhonyeni and Tshiyakwakhiwe villages.
The men were reportedly shot dead near Mudzimu Dam in January 1983.
Since fleeing as an infant, Dlamini never returned to Tsholotsho until recently, when he joined relatives and community members to commemorate the victims, many of whom were buried in shallow graves in Tshiyakwakhiwe village.
Between January and March 16, 1983, 33 people were killed by the North Korea-trained soldiers in the two villages.
The memorials are held annually by the community in conjunction with Ibhetshu LikaZulu.
Dlamini’s sister, Patricia, said the family was overwhelmed with emotion upon his return.
“It excited me to see my brother returning home alive from South Africa, although he was not feeling well,” she said.
“What is important to us is that he came home alive since his life was difficult in South Africa.”
Patricia revealed that his brother refused to return home, saying he no longer has a home after they lost their homestead.
“Sometimes he went to closed mines in South Africa to work for survival. He got trapped in a mine for four days before he was rescued,” she said.
“That is when we brought him home, but he is not mentally fit as he sometimes has lapses to the point of showing signs of trauma.”
His cousin, Thabani, said the reunion was emotional.
“Today, I am meeting him for the first time since he left this village in 1983 when he was eight months old. It is my first time seeing him and he is 43 years old,” he said.
Ibhetshu LikaZulu secretary-general Mbuso Fuzwayo said the return was significant for both the family and the community.
“We are grateful that, at last, our brother returned and met his family in his home place,” he said.
During the memorial, Patricia appealed to Senator Sethulo Ndebele, who attended the event, to push Parliament to declare March 16 a Women’s Day holiday in honour of the victims.
“We sent a letter to Parliament in 2024 and have not received any response. We request that you ask them if they accept our request,” she said.
“If they accept our request, we will understand that they acknowledge this happened. We are still mourning, our wounds are still fresh.”
Meanwhile, the Mkhonyeni community is working towards constructing a memorial site and museum in honour of the 22 victims.
Senator Ndebele pledged to assist by building ablution facilities at the site.
In 2018, President Emmerson Mnangagwa tasked traditional leaders with spearheading Gukurahundi hearings.
The programme was officially launched in 2020 and updated in 2025, but concerns persist over a lack of tangible progress in addressing the emotive issue.