The opposition Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) has filed an urgent High Court application seeking to stop the rollout of the long-anticipated Gukurahundi community outreach hearings, which were scheduled to commence today. The hearings, designed to provide a platform for reconciliation and healing over the 1980s massacres in Matabeleland and Midlands, are being led by traditional chiefs under the auspices of the National Council of Chiefs.
However, ZAPU has raised serious concerns about the legality, impartiality, and constitutionality of the process. The party’s president, Michael Sibangilizwe Nkomo, filed the court challenge, arguing that the process lacks legitimacy and risks retraumatizing victims without delivering genuine justice.
In a strongly worded founding affidavit, Nkomo stated that traditional leaders have no constitutional or legal mandate to lead such a complex and sensitive national process. “The chiefs, as traditional leaders, have neither the legal authority nor the neutrality required to spearhead this exercise. Their participation risks producing biased outcomes and may worsen the trauma suffered by victims of Gukurahundi,” he said.
ZAPU’s application lists President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, and the National Council of Chiefs as respondents. The party argues that the framework for the hearings stems from a 2019 agreement between President Mnangagwa and a civic group known as the Matabeleland Collective—a deal ZAPU describes as unconstitutional and lacking broad stakeholder consultation. Nkomo asserted, “The Matabeleland Collective does not represent Gukurahundi victims and had no mandate to enter into any agreements on their behalf.”
ZAPU Challenges Gukurahundi Hearings in Court, Cites Bias and Constitutional Breach
The court application also highlights a lack of transparency in the preparatory processes, claiming that closed-door planning and selective engagement have shut out genuine stakeholders, including affected families, survivors, and civil society organisations. According to ZAPU, the lack of a consultative, victim-centred approach violates principles of restorative justice and could discourage victims from freely participating.
Additionally, the party previously wrote to President Mnangagwa urging him to suspend the hearings to allow for a more inclusive and lawful process, but no official response was received. ZAPU argues that the ongoing silence from the highest office signals disregard for the victims and their concerns.
While the legal process unfolds, preparations for the hearings continue. National Council of Chiefs president, Chief Lucas Mtshane Khumalo, confirmed that the program was ready to commence and would be held in all traditional leaders’ jurisdictions. “We are finalizing logistical arrangements, and the hearings will begin as planned,” he said in a recent interview. However, sources close to the process say that some chiefs have raised concerns over the practicality and emotional toll of the hearings, with some citing lack of resources and psychological support for both participants and facilitators.
ZAPU is seeking an urgent interim interdict to stop the hearings until the full case is heard and ruled upon. The party is proposing an alternative model led by an independent commission of inquiry—one that includes international observers, victim representatives, civil society, and neutral mediators.
“The current process protects perpetrators instead of centering victims,” Nkomo added. “It lacks credibility and does nothing to establish the truth, promote healing, or offer reparations. Zimbabwe deserves a transparent, inclusive, and justice-driven approach to national reconciliation.”
The court is yet to determine whether ZAPU’s application qualifies as urgent. If the application is granted, the outreach hearings will be halted pending a final ruling on their legality and constitutionality.
The Gukurahundi massacres, which occurred between 1983 and 1987, resulted in the deaths of an estimated 20,000 civilians in Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands. The atrocities remain a deeply painful and unresolved chapter in Zimbabwe’s post-independence history.
ZAPU’s legal challenge has reignited the national debate over how best to confront the legacy of Gukurahundi. While the government has signaled willingness to open dialogue on the issue, critics argue that any reconciliation process must be impartial, victim-centered, and rooted in justice—not political expediency. The coming weeks will determine whether the courts agree.
Source- Bulawayo24
