Mugabe's 'Moment Of Madness' Lives On

ZANU PF are discovering that they are fair game for Zimbabweans living in the diaspora - in this case, South Africa.

The Gukurahundi is an issue that ZANU PF attempt to dodge, taking their lead from their leader, Robert Mugabe, who excuses the genocide with the glib comment that it was 'a moment of madness'.

A 'moment' that lasted 7 years and cost between twenty and thirty thousand people their lives...

"A high powered ZANU PF delegation was sent scurrying for cover by angry crowds who aggressively confronted them in South Africa, demanding to know why Mugabe sent the genocidal 5th Brigade to Matabeleland and Midlands areas, The Zim Diaspora can reveal.

The meeting organised by Robert Mugabe’s allies in Johannesburg's Hillbrow Theatre yesterday afternoon but absolutely failed to take off after scores of angry crowds backed by Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF) and MDC moved in and disrupted the meeting, demanding justice for Gukurahundi victims.

Up to 20000 civilians were murdered by Mugabe’s North Korean-trained army whose specific instruction was to target Ndebele speaking peoples of southern Zimbabwe in the 1980s. This included the torture and ruthless killing of PF-ZAPU officials who included ZIPRA commander Lookout Masuku who died in handcuffs while Dumiso Dabengwa spent three-years in a ZANU PF prison where he was being accused of treason despite being acquitted by the high court."

Mugabe's people are discovering the hard way that the people of Zimbabwe are still angry about the massacres - and who can blame them? ZANU PF use force, threats and violence to get their own way, but overlook their own failings.

They are very quick to allege that the mass grave 'discovered' in Mount Darwin contain their slain comrades from the Rhodesian bush war, but refuse to embark a proper forensic examination as they know the bodies are not their people.

bodies 014 BVP8a 16744

The bodies are much newer than the chimurenga and are believed to be either people killed in the Gukurahundi, or people that have been 'disappeared' since that operation stopped in 1987.

ZANU PF intend to rebury the bodies in Mount Darwin, and erect a memorial to their freedom fighter 'heroes'.

The exhumation was being carried out by unqualified personnel and had to be halted by a court order.

"Yesterday, ZANU PF delegates representing Mugabe's ideology had to be whisked away in Johannesburg as angry crowds surged forward and invaded the top table where they were seated. The angry crowds backed by Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF) sang "lingababulali yeya, lingababulali yeya lali bulala obaba".

The crowd toyi toyed and demanded justice for Gukurahundi victims as ZANU PF delegates looked stunned and helplessly. ZANU PF Secretary for Administration Didymus Mutasa was meant to address the meeting, but ended up not attending after being told that the situation was deteriorating."

From my book "Without Honour" about my experiences in the ZRP whilst that terrible operation was being carried out: "From the full version of "Breaking the Silence", the report by The Catholic Commission for Justice & Peace in Zimbabwe: "In February 1981, a second outburst of fighting started in Entumbane, which spread to Ntabazinduna and Glenville, in the vicinity of Bulawayo, and also to Connemara in the Midlands. ZIPRA troops elsewhere in Matabeleland North and South headed for the city to join the battle, and Prime Minister Mugabe called in former RDF (Rhodesian Defence Force) units to quell the uprising, but not before more than 300 people had lost their lives."

An enquiry was ordered, but the findings have never been published. Again from "Breaking the Silence": "The Government instituted a Commission of Inquiry into events surrounding Entumbane, conducted by Justice Enock Dumbutshena. However, Mr Mugabe complained about its findings, and the Dumbutshena Report was never made public."

What was in the Dumbutshena report that caused Mugabe to refuse to make it public? Surely, even if the truth were documented, it would have been better to publish the findings then, rather than hide the report some twenty-plus years later?

I do believe that the Dumbutshena report will state that the Mugabe regime knew exactly what they were doing, and that the public story that they were trying to quell a ZAPU uprising is entirely disproved.

But while ZANU PF remain in government, the report will never see the light of day. And this has led to the anger of the people, wherever they are in the world, growing with the passing of every day.

"In addition, from 1982, ex-ZIPRA combatants - and not just deserters - increasingly faced persecution: ex-ZIPRA combatants who had been formally demobilised and those still in the army were increasingly subjected to arrest and harassment. Detention camps were established at St Paul’s on Lupane, at Tsholotsho, at Plumtree airstrip, and at Bhalagwe in Kezi, where the Central Intelligence Organisation interrogated ex-combatants. Within army battalions, tensions ran high: ZANLA and ZIPRA each suspected the other of concealing arms, and ZIPRA members noticed the escalating arrest and disappearance of cadres from their ranks."

"An eyewitness said: "For the first time I saw ZANU PF scurrying for cover including Mutasa running for his life. It was a sweet thing to see. There were CIOs but they just couldn’t do what they usually do in Zimbabwe. We were prepared for a proper confrontation with them, and the best thing they could do was to escape."

"Crowds gathered outside the hall by 11am yesterday when news came through that ZANU PF would be conducting an anti-sanctions meeting. We waited for him outside the hall. As we waited, more and more anti-ZANU PF Zimbabweans joined us," the witness said.

"When Mutasa and his delegation arrived they introduced themselves and said they were the Government of Zimbabwe and started chanting ZANU PF slogans. It is at this stage that all hell broke loose, we also started singing loudly "labulala obaba", and Sabelo Ngwenya and Prudence Moyo invaded and took over the stage and told them about Mthwakazi’s grievances against his government," he said.

"We continued singing and then resorted to confrontation. At this stage the ZANU PF delegation ran for their cover with the South African police politely intervened. But we achieved our objective the ZANU PF meeting never took place in South Africa. Moreso when they were running away they left behind confidential ZANU PF documents which are now in the hands of MLF and we are currently scrutinizing them," he said."

"A ZANU PF official is reported to have threatened that he will go back to Zimbabwe and deal with the families of those who were involved in the disturbances."

ZANU PF know nothing more than threats and violence - but when out of their comfort zone (Zimbabwe) I do believe that they were surprised to find that their 'authority' was over-ridden...

Perhaps a sign of things to come?

Here's an idea. Lift the targeted sanctions that are in place against Mugabe and his co-conspirators... and then, wherever they travel, let them be met with like protest...

Mugabe's law does not work outside of the country which he leads, even though he was not elected to rule, unless he uses force to cement the 'vote'...

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man