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| posted on this site: 1st May 2001 |
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Building True Peace
A report into the disturbances in Matabeleland and the Midlands
1980 - 1988
Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe
Legal Resources Foundation
April 1999
A SUMMARY
This report is a short version of a much longer book, the original of which was published and released for sale in Zimbabwe in 1997. This first book was researched and written by the Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJPZ). 2000 copies of the original book have been published, and most have been sold.
A copy was sent to his Excellency the President, and other Cabinet Ministers in Zimbabwe have also read the report. There has been no official comment about the report from the President or the Government.
Why was the original book written?
People who live in Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands know only too well what happened to them during the 1980s. Their lives were affected in serious ways by both Government troops and also by dissidents and Youth Brigades at this time.
However, most people from other parts of Zimbabwe still have no idea what it was like for those who were suffering. They have no idea how people still suffer as a result of the violence that took place. People who were affected also do not have ways of talking to people in other parts of the country about what happened. Ordinary people all over Zimbabwe, need to know what happened during those years in their own country.
Why has this summary been written?
The first book was very long, and had to include many details in order to make sure that the claims of the book weople. It may appear on the surface that there is peace in Zimbabwe and that people have forgotten and forgiven the past. However, talking to over a thousand Zimbabweans in Matabeleland has shown that this is not the case. People still feel deep-rooted fear, anger, and distrust. Their wounds have not healed: indeed they are festering and need to be acknowledged and cured if peace is to be guaranteed in the future.
In order to facilitate this process, the report makes the following recommendations:
1. National acknowledgement: We need the truth of what happened to be revealed, so that reconciliation can begin. There are large numbers of Zimbabweans who have no idea of what happened in the western part of the country, while they were enjoying the early fruits of Independence. We therefore recommend that:
- this report be published and be made available to the public
- the Chihambakwe Commission report be made available to the public
- the Government appoints a fact-finding committee if it disputes the truth of this report
- nation-wide discussions across all ethnic groups be encouraged to promote reconciliation
2. Human rights violators: All those who committed human rights violations, whether security forces or dissidents, are immune from prosecution because of the amnesty of 1988. However, we recommend that known human rights violators should be removed from positions of authority which may enable them to violate human rights again in the future.
3. Legal amendments: There are currently no legal mechanisms through which those who suffered from damage in the 1980s can claim compensation. The victims of the 1980s are therefore in a different position to those of the 1970s, who can claim through the War Victims Compensation Act. There are also problems surrounding birth and death certificates which arise directly from these years. However, the Government undertook in its report to the United Nations in 1996 that it would pay compensation to families of persons who disappeared during the 1980s, but has yet to do so. We therefore recommend the following:
- that the Government publicise its undertaking to pay victims, as stated to the UN in 1996
- that the Government should devise mechanisms to process claims by victims
- that the War Victims Compensation Act should be amended to include those who suffered during the 1980s
- that there should be an inquiry into the Births and Deaths Act to find a policy making it easier to register births and deaths for those families affected by the disturbances
- that the Government should amend the Agricultural Finance Corporation Act to cancel debts incurred by farmers during the years of disturbance, where it can be shown that such debts were the result of human rights violations which occurred before 22 December 1987.
4. Human remains: It has been noted that there are many unmarked graves and graves of missing persons in regions affected by the disturbances. Communities need to be consulted to find out what their wishes are in respect to this issue. We therefore recommend that:
- a neutral team of anthropologists and psychologists conduct research to determine the desires of communities affected by such graves and human remains
- Government undertake to protect such grave sites pending the outcome of this research
- Government should not hinder or prevent qualified teams from helping the process of identifying human remains and reburying them, if this is the wish of communities.
5. Health: It is clear that entire communities have suffered and are still suffering severe psychological trauma. Those who perpetrated crimes may also be suffering psychological pain as a result. Psychological healing is an essential component of reconciliation. We therefore recommend that:
- Government and donors provide the necessary financial and logistic support to enable professional teams of counsellors/psychologists/health practitioners to work in affected areas
- Those non-Governmental organizations already doing work in the field of psychological rehabilitation send teams to work in affected communities forthwith
6. Communal reparation: Reconciliation / Uxolelwano Trust: Individual compensation for everyone is now an impossible task, although some could be eligible if certain laws were altered as recommended above. Government cannot afford to compensate all individually. In any case, entire communities were targeted and entire communities could begin healing if Government acknowledged their role in the suffering. Reparation to whole communities could take the form of development in strategic areas. There would need to be a body that was accountable for identifying what communities wanted and overseeing development projects to prevent abuse of funds. We therefore recommend that:
- a trust be formed called the "Reconciliation/ Uxoleiwano Trust" to facilitate the process of communal reparation.
7. Constitutional safe-guards: Zimbabweans need guarantees that human rights violations on such a massive scale can never take place again. We therefore recommend that:
- citizens of Zimbabwe and the Government begin a debate to consider what safeguards we need to add to the constitution to prevent human rights violations ever occurring again.
8. The future: This report is a starting point in what should become a serious debate surrounding what happened in Zimbabwe in the 1980s and why. This will require sensitivity and restraint from all parties concerned. We therefore recommend that:
- Government, universities, churches, non-Governmental organisations and others do not make inflammatory comments and instead promote sensible dialogue among all Zimbabweans.
EVENTS SINCE THE REPORT
UMTHWAKAZI RECONCILIATION GROUP
It has been decided that the formation of a formal Trust is not appropriate at this time, although this may still happen at some point in the future. Instead, a loosely aligned group of concerned non-Governmental organisations are meeting regularly to exchange ideas of how best to go ahead with the report's recommendations, in the hope that sooner or later Government will join the initiative.
They have called themselves the "Umthwakazi Reconciliation Group" and their declared intention is "Working Together for Healing, Development and Reconciliation". The group has no formal structure, constitution or agenda, apart from a shared desire to promote healing and development in the region. They meet to exchange information and progress in this regard, so that their activities can be mutually helpful and avoid duplication of efforts.
The following organisations are those that to date have agreed to affiliate themselves to Umthwakazi. The number of such organisations grows with each meeting:
AMANI Trust, Legal Resources Foundation, Imbovane, Zimrights, Zimbabwe Project Trust, World Vision, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and Transparency International.
The AMANI Trust is a non-Governmental organisation which rehabilitates survivors of psychosocial trauma. It has been operating in Mashonaland Central since 1994, rehabilitating survivors of the Chimurenga, and training nurses to recognise and deal with a range of psychological issues. Since January of 1998 it has been operating in Gwanda District, similarly identifying and counselling survivors of violence from both the 1970s and the 1980s. AMANI is training health workers and also priests and Catholic personnel to do counselling work in the provinces of Matabeleland and the Midlands.
ZCBC MATABELELAND COMMITTEE
The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference have formed their own task committee whose intentions are similar to those of the Umthwakazi Reconciliation Group, namely, to try to promote healing in Matabeleland. This committee will remain independent of other initiatives in the region, although it recognises the importance of work being done in this field by others and will network with them when appropriate.
The committee will facilitate the collection of further information in affected areas and in fact this process has already begun. The aim of the new round of data collection is to establish in more detail the scale of the violence in affected areas and also to begin to collect some ideas from people on what they think they need in the future to heal.
A new interviewing format was devised which included sections which enabled people to indicate what development there has been in their regions since 1980, what further development might be most needed, and might be seen as an act of reconciliation. This information was requested on the understanding that no development might take place, in order not to raise false hopes.
Information was collected relating to current legal problems from those years and as to whether people wanted reburials or shrines or ceremonies to help with the problems surrounding the mass graves and shallow graves in their areas.
This information is going to be combined with information from community meetings and presented in a detailed report. This will give parishes in regions that have been affected by violence an idea of what people perceive to be needed in their areas.
The committee further aims to conscientise the faithful and to publicise in various ways the need for healing the wounds which remain from the violence.
NUMBERS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN CASE STUDY AREAS BY DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PERPETRATORS TOTALLED FOR YEARS 1982 – 1987
| Perpetrator |
Total Number of Offences |
| 5 Brigade |
5734 |
| Army |
324 |
| CIO |
465 |
| CID |
14 |
| Support Unit |
18 |
| ZRP |
74 |
| ZANU-PF Youth |
165 |
| PISI |
29 |
| Armed Men |
17 |
| Dissidents |
142 |
| Unknown |
255 |
| Total |
7246 |
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN CASE STUDY AREAS TOTALLED FOR YEARS 1982 – 1987
| Type of Violation |
Total Number |
| Dead |
1437 |
| Missing |
354 |
| Property Loss |
680 |
| Torture |
366 |
| Assault |
1537 |
| Detention |
2713 |
| Rape |
159 |
| Total |
7246 |
To read the full report, click here
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