Zimbabweans marked Unity Day on Wednesday, a national holiday that commemorates the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987 between the ruling Zanu PF and the opposition PF Zapu parties. The accord ended the brutal Gukurahundi massacres that claimed the lives of at least 20,000 civilians, mostly Zapu supporters, in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions.
But for many, the day is a painful reminder of the country’s dark past and the lack of genuine reconciliation and justice for the victims and survivors of Gukurahundi and other state-sponsored violence.
A Dream Deferred
According to a report by Newsday Zimbabwe, some opposition leaders and activists said there was nothing to celebrate on Unity Day when government critics faced threats of abductions, arrests, and political violence.
Sibangilizwe Nkomo, the president of Zapu, said that Gukurahundi persists and there can be no unity without national healing and closure.
“Remember during Gukurahundi a lot of perpetrators of violence were not arrested. There are also so many political prisoners, people are being arrested; the likes of (former Citizens Coalition for Change [CCC] MP) Job Sikhala, and some are being killed or abducted,” he said.
Promise Mkwananzi, the spokesperson of the CCC, said genuine national unity in Zimbabwe was a mirage.
“For now, genuine national unity day is a dream deferred,” he said.
“Today, (President Emmerson) Mnangagwa seeks to use the decapitation of our people and the annihilation of its vehicle the CCC, and denigration of the people’s leader advocate Nelson Chamisa to force another unity façade.”
Mkwananzi called for comprehensive national unity that addresses people’s grievances.
“In the absence of this holistic process, this country will continue into further divisions and desperate actions as people seek to be heard and to be given the national platform to vent their long-standing grievances and scars.”
A Call for Dignity and Freedom
The Job Sikhala Solidarity Council said Unity Day is a reminder of Zanu PF politics of coercion and deceit.
“Zimbabwe’s national calendar dictates that citizens today commemorate Unity Day, a day when the PF Zapu party was coerced to the negotiating table and forced to swallow a poisoned chalice by Zanu PF in 1987,” the council said.
“In 2009, Morgan Richard Tsvangirai was a victim of the same vile Zanu PF tactics, forced to enter into the so-called Government of National Unity to halt the mass killing of his supporters.”
The council said Zimbabweans deserve their right to dignity and freedom from state-sponsored lawfare.
“Job Sikhala is a victim of such lawfare and has been inhumanely caged in Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison for over 18 months,” the council said.
Linda Masarira, the president of LEAD, however, said there was a need for people to forgive each other and reconcile.
“We might have different political views, but that doesn’t mean that we have to hate each other. Zimbabwe is our country. We need to unite in our diversity and speak with one voice as we strive to unite this beautiful country and her people,” she said.
Nomagugu Khumalo, the chairperson of Genocide Survivors for Justice, said December 22 is a sad reminder of the unresolved country’s dark past.
“Now the question remains, did Mugabe cheat Nkomo into signing the Unity Accord? It certainly looks like the signing of this Accord was nothing but a scam because although the arbitrary killings were halted, Gukurahundi continued in a stealthily different manner,” she said.
Despite the challenges and controversies surrounding Unity Day, some Zimbabweans still hope for a better future for their country and their people.
