Aspiring MDC-T leader and current party secretary general Douglas Mwonzora has urged the government to compensate Gukurahundi survivors.
Addressing journalists in Bulawayo ahead of the party’s Annual Congress to be held on the 19th of December 2020, the opposition politician said even though he was impressed because the government is willing to talk about the matter, authorities still have to take action.
Mwonzora is battling for MDC-T’s top post and is set to battle it out with interim president Thokozani Khupe, Morgen Komichi and Elias Mudzuri.
An estimated 20 000 civilians died in the hands of the North Korean trained Fifth Brigade military in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces between 1982 and 1987.
Said Mwonzora: “We are happy now that the government is talking about it (Gukurahundi) but talking about it is not enough. We want the government to make sure that the compensation is concretised.
“We also want the government to facilitate truth telling because it is important for people to know the truth.”
The MDC Senator urged the government to accordingly compensate the victims of the genocide.
“We saw the Gukurahundi which was a war targeting a people of a specific ethnic group where you have harassment and killings qualify the definition of genocide.
“We need to make sure that the victims of Gukurahundi are compensated and they are compensated fully. We are very aware of some problems that emanate from the Gukurahundi, like people who do not have proper documentation. We have people who did not go to school because they had lost their breadwinners,” said Mwonzora.
The top politician also said Matabeleland has been marginalised as a result of deliberate government policy immediately after the war of independence.
He added, “We also have communities that were marginalised. So, the compensation must be given to both the individual victims while also considering the community as a victim also.”