The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has used the ongoing 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence to spotlight and demand justice for women, who were raped and killed during the 1980s Gukurahundi massacres, which left an estimated 20 000 people dead.
MRP leader, Mqondisi Moyo, said the 16 Days of Activism served as"a reminder of decades of gender-targeted atrocities" and the ongoing "state-engineered silence" for the people of Matabeleland
"For the MRP and the broader Mthwakazi nation, this is not just another diarised campaign," Moyo said.
"It is a period carved into our collective memory by the blood, tears, and irreversible trauma inflicted upon our women, girls, and children during the Gukurahundi genocide."
He described the violence as "deliberate, targeted, systematic, and tribal in nature," arguing that the violations were part of a structured military operation meant to break communities.
Moyo highlighted the lasting intergenerational trauma, particularly for children born from rape, who face "a lifelong spiritual dislocation" and uncertainty about their identity and origins.
"Their lives became living evidence of a crime that sought not only to destroy a people, but to erase their future," he indicated.
Moyo criticised the government’s continued refusal to fully acknowledge the atrocities or provide justice, labelling it "politically dishonest and morally bankrupt."
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"You cannot claim moral authority while suppressing truth. You cannot champion women's rights while refusing to confront what was done to women in Matabeleland," Moyo added.
He demanded an independent, transparent, and victim-centred process to address the violations, including reparations for survivors and affected families.
"The MRP calls firmly and publicly on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to act... and issue a clear, unambiguous public statement responding to the long-standing allegations surrounding his role and knowledge during that period," Moyo said.
This year's 16 Days of Activism, which ran from November 25 to December 10 was held under the UN theme "End digital violence against all women and girls."
The Gukuruhandi genocide was perpetrated by the North Korea trained Fifth Brigade that was deployed to Matabeleland and Midlands provinces soon after independence by former president Robert Mugabe to neutralise the Zapu liberation movement led by Joshua Nkomo.
A 1987 accord between Zapu and Zanu ended the killings as Mugabe eyed a one party state.
When he came to power in 2017 Mnangagwa promised a swift resolution to the Gukurahundi issues, but nothing tangible has been achieved so far.
