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- Written by: Michael Sibangilizwe Nkomo
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Time to Reclaim our Country from Tyranny and Economic Decay
[Click Here to See the Press PDF in full]
As we return to work after the festive season, we are quickly reminded of our unfinished business from last year. Our efforts to challenge the shadowy Chief-led Gukurahundi Outreach Programme continue as we work with our compatriots under the large banner of the Gukurahundi Genocide Alliance. Support from concerned citizens, the church and civic society remains our greatest motivation for staying the course in our quest for restorative justice, closure and healing for the victims of Gukurahundi. We maintain our principled position that any dialogue around Gukurahundi cannot be led or determined by the de facto perpetrator of the 1982-1987 genocide.
In our unity of purpose, we shall line up a number of events to build national consensus around this painful wound that has remained without redress for so long. We shall also approach SADC and other peacebuilding regional bodies to assist us in our fight to be heard by the deaf regime in Harare. Although the Gukurahundi genocide had its epicenter in the Matabeleland region, it had far-reaching effects across Zimbabwe. In many parts of Zimbabwe, ZAPU members and leaders were killed, harassed, dispossessed of their property, abducted and forcefully disappeared by suspected state security agents. Our party was effectively outlawed and forcefully incapacitated. To this day we are still struggling to rebuild ZAPU as the state remains unwilling to lift the caveats placed on our assets by the then Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Mr Robert Mugabe. Spirited efforts to reclaim our stolen properties have invariably hit brick walls as the ZANU PF regime fears the resurgence of a well-resourced ZAPU.
Since last year, Zimbabwe has witnessed unprecedented levels of corruption with a connected few looting from our national coffers through murky tenders awarded by public officials. The vice of corruption has been exacerbated by the ineptitude and unwillingness of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to fulfill its constitutional mandate. As a nation we have been let down by the ZACC whose flagship function is to fight corruption. We have seen very few and flimsy cases prosecuted with even fewer convictions for corruption. This has emboldened lawless individuals to double down on their corrupt dealings. We hereby call for the disbanding of the ZACC as an organization. It is a waste of taxpayers’ money and a cumbersome tower of incompetence. As Zimbabweans let us reimagine a new autonomous organization to fight corruption competently. If the recent public pronouncements by the acting-President Constantine Chiwenga are sincere enough, then the government he leads should act on his command to eradicate corruption and dismantle cartel networks.
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- Written by: John Burke
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Today marks 38 years since the momentous signing of the Unity Accord between ZAPU and ZANU which resulted in what was supposedly a united ZANU PF. Motivated by the need to end the bloodletting sponsored by the state, our founding President, Dr Joshua Nkomo, led ZAPU into the Unity Accord with a heavy heart. His message to ZAPU was very clear: “Enter into this Unity Accord – albeit under duress – but eventually come out without blemish.” We followed his wise counsel and stayed in the belly of the beast for 22 long years. In 2009 we actively pulled out of the Unity Accord without blemish, determined to revive our revolutionary party. Since then we have never looked back.
Today’s public holiday commemorating the Unity Accord of 1987, is a desperate attempt by the ZANU PF regime to hide behind the human shield of our disciplined party. The regime is desperate to sanitize its soiled name by aligning itself with our clean image as ZAPU. There was never any national unity established through the Unity Accord of 1987. It was simply a lifesaving move by our genuinely patriotic and humanitarian leader who prioritized the sanctity of people’s lives over personal glory. We must put it to the whole world that Zimbabweans are not united on the strength of the defunct Unity Accord. The nation remains divided along several fault lines. Tribalism, nepotism, cronyism and regionalism continue to plague Zimbabwe from Plumtree to Chimanimani.
To us, Unity Day is a self-serving ploy by the ZANU PF-led government to project a façade of national unity. Yet Zimbabweans are more divided than ever before. Disparities between Zimbabweans have only become more glaring. A small clique of connected elites now enjoys access to excess on the back of state capture, corruption and tenderpreneurship. The vast majority of Zimbabweans wallow in abject poverty. Polarizing figures continue to fan disunity to weaken opposition forces and silence dissenting voices. It remains our sustained argument that Unity Day is a central cog in the ruling party’s propaganda machine. There is nothing sincere about ZANU PF’s lip service to unity. As Zimbabweans, let us find each other within our communities, in order to unite in word and in action. Let us defeat the sowers of division once and for all.
Issued by:
Richard Gandari, ZAPU National Spokesperson
[Click Here to Open a New Window to see the ZAPU Statement as a PDF]
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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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A Disaster We Saw Coming
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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?
