Today in Bulawayo, lbhetshu LikaZulu organized a memorial lecture honoring General Lookout Masuku and Dr Philani Lithandene Ndlovu a Doctor of Law at UNISA delivered the lecture below entitled,
Victims or victors? A reflection of the life and legacy of LKVM and his contemporaries
Greetings ladies and gentlemen
Introduction
Just a little over two weeks ago, we witnessed the passing of Mrs Sikhubekiso Mangena, the wife of the ZIPRA commander who died in 1978 during one of the military operations to liberate Zimbabwe from colonial rule. Sadly, she died a pauper’s death despite the sacrifices she and her husband made to liberate this country.
The liberation war that ushered this country into black rule in 1980 was bloody and grueling. Three major armies were involved, namely, the ZPRA, ZANLA and the Rhodesian Front. To end the war, a conference was held at the Lancaster House in the United Kingdom. The agreement paved way for the integration of the three-armed military belligerents into one national army of Zimbabwe which would be responsible for the defense of the newly established Republic of Zimbabwe. The three command structures were to be merged into one. British military instructors were assigned the duty to oversee the process.
When the integration exercise was done, Rex Nhongo (a.k.a Solomon Mujuru) was appointed as the Head of the military. Ubaba uLookout Vumindaba Khalisabantu Masuku was appointed as his deputy. Within two years of its establishment, the Joint High Command established in1980 collapsed when Lookout Masuku, Dumiso Dabengwa, among others were arrested and tried for alleged acts of treason. The arrest resulted in a lengthy trial which proceeded through the High Court of Bulawayo right up to the Supreme Court. Interestingly, the state prosecution failed to sustain the charges against the accused ZPRA commanders, resulting in their acquittal by the Supreme Court in April 1983. The state case was too weak to sustain, bereft of evidence and demonstrably politically motivated. Despite their acquittal, Masuku and Dabengwa were immediately detained with neither further charges pressed against them nor trial between 1983 and 1986.
It is common knowledge that Masuku’s health deteriorated significantly during that detention. Even though he was eventually released in March 1986, that release came barely a month before he eventually succumbed to illness. His death on the 5th of April in 1986 just two days before his 46th birthday cast a dark shed on the prospects of the successful attainment of the dream of a free country for which Masuku and his compatriots had fought so hard to liberate. It is a sad reminder of how one’s sacrifice can be used against him by those who have benefited from it.
The case of Masuku and Dabengwa goes into history as an unprecedented travesty of justice in Zimbabwe, and a textbook case of how lawfare has been deployed to intimidate critics and opposition political activists in this country. The recent arrests and detentions of the likes of Job Sikhala, Blessing Mhlanga, and others must be viewed against the backdrop of a long-standing culture whereby critics of government and the state face detentions to curtail their voices and muzzle any potential criticism of the establishment.
Context
But how is the arrest of Masuku and Dabengwa to be understood?
Was it by coincidence that the arrest, prosecution, and subsequent detention of the ZPRA supremo duo’s arrest was immediately followed by the deployment of Gukurahundi into the provinces of Matabeleland and the Midlands? Is their trial not to be viewed within the context of the bigger Gukurahundi genocide plot?
The national question
One question that stands to be answered is: Who is a Zimbabwean? What is a Zimbabwean?
When you say that you are Zimbabwean, what do you mean?
Economic freedom
Procurement
Political participation
Is there freedom of participation
Gukurahundi Chief’s process
Chiefs’ process
Impact
Principles of justice
Justice hinges on the two main principles:
Audi alteram partem
Nemo judex in causa sua
Reconciliation
Nation building
How the young view the war of independence
The young do not see a reason why Masuku went to war.
Our future
Conclusion
Justice has been elusive since 1980.