Own Correspondent|President Emmerson Mnangagwa sent his emissaries to Matabeleland to meet with the members of the Matabeleland Collective and feed them back on what government is going to do to address issues presented to him in a controversy riddled meeting held last month.
The Collective tabled a four pronged document to Mnangagwa top of which were issues to do with the Gukurahundi atrocities, national healing and the devolution of power concept.
Mnangagwa’s emissaries highlighted that Government will issue birth and death certificates to those affected by the Gukurahundi atrocities.
Government will also facilitate the exhumation and reburial of victims of Gukurahundi while medical assistance will be availed for those injured during the time while other restorative justice measures will be rolled out, making good of President Mnangagwa’s promise that his administration would not shy from confronting the ugly past.
Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mrs Virginia Mabiza met the Matabeleland Collective in Bulawayo and announced the implementation of a matrix of issues discussed during the earlier meeting.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage will facilitate the issuance of birth certificates and death certificates for victims affected by Gukurahundi. It will also facilitate the exhumation and reburial of Gukurahundi victims.
“We’re also implementing protection mechanisms for those affected by Gukurahundi to be free to discuss their experiences,” said Mrs Mabiza.
She said Health and Child Care and Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ministries would provide medical assistance to victims of Gukurahundi.
“Some people are still suffering from various pains inflicted on them during the disturbances. The Government will therefore, facilitate that these people receive medical assistance,” said Mrs Mabiza.
Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement would also prioritise the completion of the Matabeleland Zambezi Water project, which is expected to unlock economic value to communities.
“The ministry and certain players that have been identified to look into the completion of the project are expected to give monthly updates on progress made until we can give timelines on the completion.
“Another critical issue to be looked into is devolution, where we expect Government processes to be devolved by prioritising of local businesses in the awarding of tenders and giving locals first preference when filling positions,” said Mrs Mabiza.
Mrs Mabiza said her ministry would work with the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing to harmonise laws governing local authorities to ensure efficiency and ease in the implementation of devolution.
“The harmonisation of laws is expected to be finalised in six months. We will work with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises to ensure that there’s inclusivity of women in Parliament, Cabinet and governance structures.”
She said her ministry had resolved to extend the lifespan of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) for continuous dialogue.
Mrs Mabiza added that the Home Affairs Ministry had been tasked to investigate and report causes of police inaction and perceived insubordination during the 14 to 16 July protests.
Matabeleland Collective convener Pastor Trevor Masuku commended the OPC for responding to concerns raised by the civic society.
“We are grateful that President Mnangagwa responded to the invitation for dialogue extended to him by the Matabeleland Collective and a meeting was successfully held last month. On this historic day, more than 70 organisations represented by over 100 civic and religious leaders had a two hour frank dialogue with the President and key issues were raised.
“We called for the decriminalisation of Gukurahundi by allowing people to openly discuss their experiences. We also asked for true and factual notation on death certificates and the development of Matabeleland to prioritised,” said Pastor Masuku.
During last month’s meeting, President Mnangagwa hailed the interaction which he described as the first of its kind in terms of social dialogue