GOVERNMENT has officially launched the Gukurahundi Community Outreach Programme, a landmark initiative aimed at addressing the divisive legacy of the Gukurahundi post-independence conflict perpetrated during the 1980s, resulting in the death of an estimated 20 000 people in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces.
The launch held in Bulawayo was attended by 72 Chiefs, senior government officials, ministers, politicians and civil society organisations.
The programme which is running under the theme, 'Promoting Healing, Peace and Unity Through Community Engagements' was presided over by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, at the State House in Bulawayo. He framed the project as a "transformative odyssey" and "pilgrimage towards healing and national cohesion."
"Fellow Zimbabweans, today we are gathered to officially launch the Gukurahundi Community Outreach Programme. This exercise is not simply a mechanism for revisiting grievances, but it is a transformative odyssey, a pilgrimage towards healing and national cohesion.
"This Community Outreach Programme which we are launching today provides a platform for us to come together, to share the burdens of the past, and to collectively chart a course for a brighter future", said Mnangagwa
The president has entrusted Chiefs to spearhead the initiative which will see consultations with the affected families and individuals.
"The road ahead will be paved with open dialogue, facilitated by our Chiefs. This process may evoke tears, but they will be tears of catharsis, tears that cleanse the soul and pave the way for healing.
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"Going forward, I now entrust the process into the capable hands of our Chiefs who, henceforth, are mandated to take charge of the outreach and subsequent rollouts.
"I have no doubt that they will deliver. Ultimately, we shall reap a conducive environment for the development of our country and achieve our vision of leaving no-one and no place behind. With these remarks, it is my pleasure to officially launch the Gukurahundi Community Outreach Programme", said Mnangagwa.
He also added that, "This initiative is a potent symbol of our collective will to bridge the divides that have separated us for too long. It places the onus of healing squarely on the shoulders of its most capable custodians - our esteemed Chiefs.
"With their knowledge of tradition and wisdom, they will guide us through open dialogue, fostering empathy and understanding. As we share our stories, the wounds of the past will begin to mend, thereby enabling national healing."
The President also called for a forward-looking approach to national unity.
"Fellow Zimbabweans, I wish to urge you all not to dwell on the shadows of yesterday, but to focus on the future of our country. Let us turn our attention to a new dawn, a brighter future. A future where the scars of yesterday no longer fester, but become stepping stones on the path to a stronger, more unified Zimbabwe. A nation can only be built by a unified people", said Mnangagwa, who was then State Security minister during the killings which late former president Robert Mugabe later described as "a moment of madness".
