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- Written by: Brian Ncube, ZAPU Deputy National Spokesperson
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PRESS STATEMENT: 24 November 2025 [Click HERE to See Official Statement as PDF]
GUKURAHUNDI HEARINGS:
CHIEFS' SELFISH DEMANDS A SHAMEFUL BETRAYAL OF VICTIMS
By Brian Ncube, ZAPU Deputy National Spokesperson
The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) is appalled by the reported demands made by traditional chiefs involved in the Gukurahundi outreach programme. The chiefs' insatiable greed and self-aggrandizement are a stark reminder of the total disregard for the victims of the Gukurahundi genocide.
As ZAPU, we knew from the beginning that this process was flawed and a bastardization of the genuine attempts to heal the wounds of the past. The chiefs' demands for hefty allowances, Starlink kits, and fuel coupons are a clear indication that they are more interested in lining their pockets than in providing justice and closure to the victims and their families.
The secrecy surrounding the hearings, which are being held in selected parts of Matabeleland away from the public and the media, raises serious questions about the government's intentions. The exclusion of Midlands Province, which also suffered during the Gukurahundi massacres, is a blatant attempt to downplay the magnitude of the genocide and deny the victims their rightful place in the narrative.
ZAPU demands that the government takes immediate action to address the concerns raised by the victims and their families. We call for a more transparent and inclusive process to address the country's dark past, one that prioritizes justice, accountability, and reparations for the victims spread across Zimbabwe and abroad.
To the chiefs involved in this sham process, we say: your greed and insensitivity are a betrayal of the trust placed in you by the people. You are a shame to the traditional leadership institution and a stain on the dignity of our culture.
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- Written by: Michael Sibangilizwe Nkomo
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A Disaster We Saw Coming
See full PDF - Click Here
Despite all the early warning signs, outcry from the general public, and premonition from ZAPU, about the dangers and senselessness of conducting an illegal, flawed and one-sided programme meant to address the Gukurahundi Genocide, President Emmerson Mnangagwa in his typical arrogant and narcissist style proceeded to commission, bless and assign the Chiefs of Matabeleland South and North – probably against their will and wisdom – to preside over a project that was clearly set to fail.
The commencement of the project was postponed several times due to lack of resources, so we were told, and that alone was indicative of challenges that lay ahead. Then there is the question of willingness, preparedness and qualification of the Chiefs to participate in this exercise. In our view, the ideal player would have been a neutral and independent entity/persons because, for starters, Chiefs lack autonomy due to their dependency on the state for their welfare and are most likely to be biased towards the ruling party as they are often viewed as aligned to ZANU PF. Besides, the Chiefs may be used by government to promote its own agenda rather than sincerely addressing the concerns of the communities as we shall point out bellow. The question arises as to whether the Chiefs have a genuine desire to promote healing, reconciliation and justice.
As reports trickle in from both Matabeleland South and North there are indications that the exercise is facing stiff resistance and apathy from the targeted communities which appear to have been preselected. There are reports that several meetings across the two Provinces have been cancelled due to lack of attendance either by communities or the Chiefs and their teams simply not showing up citing lack of resources. There are disturbing reports of elderly women collapsing to the ground wailing in pain even as the process starts, stating that they are being reminded of the Gukurahundi era. It is obvious a more sensitive and professional approach is needed. There are reports that the Chief's rapporteurs at several meetings blocked villagers from asking pertinent questions. Rapporteurs are reported to have taken down names and addresses of those who did not speak in public. There is a case where a certain Chief allegedly forced his subjects to attend the meetings or risk the unleashing of a new wave of Gukurahundi.
Since last week we have seen figures in the media purporting to be representative of the attendance of villagers in the two Provinces respectively. What is worrisome are the similarities in figures released last week of 5,000 for each province, which raises questions of authenticity given the resistance from community members and the outreach teams’ haphazard approach. To add to the suspicion, the figures are not accompanied by a progress report. Why?
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- Written by: Ruth Memeza Ncube, ZAPU Deputy Secretary General
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ZAPU: A Party Delayed But Not Derailed
Power to the People — and One Day, that Power Will Ring True {Click here or the Photo to see Press Release PDF}
ZAPU is not, intrinsically, a poor party. To label it as such is an insult — not only to the party but to the memory of its visionaries, the strength of its people, and the sacrifices made in pursuit of justice and freedom. In the early 1980s, ZAPU stood as a beacon of strategic leadership. Its investments in property, infrastructure, and human capital weren’t mere party assets — they were the foundations of a future nation-state. ZAPU was already operating as a government in exile, with systems in place that any rising nation would envy.
This was no accident. It was leadership. It was foresight. It was nation-building in its purest form.
But then came betrayal.
ZANU PF knew the threat ZAPU posed — not militarily, but structurally, intellectually, and economically. ZANU knew that a resourced ZAPU was a government-in-waiting. And so, the strategy became clear:
weaken ZAPU at its roots. Strip it of its economic base. Confiscate properties. Steal farms. Dismantle enterprises. Erase legacies. One by one, the ZAPU dominoes began to fall — not through failure, but through calculated sabotage.
And when economic sabotage was not enough, terror was unleashed.
