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Civil society and church express concerns on national healing process
Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR)
February 26, 2010

The Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration in conjunction with NANGO yesterday convened a consultative meeting at the Harare International Conference Centre in a bid to capture the suggestions and inputs from the Harare metropolitan province towards the setting up of a mechanism to achieve National Healing, Cohesion and Unity. The meeting is the last of the rounds of provincial consultative meetings carried out by the organ.

Representing the organ was the chairman of the organ, Vice President J.L. Nkomo, Minister Sekai Holland and core Minister Gibson Sibanda. Submissions were heard from various thematic sectors, which include the disabled, environmental, youths, women, children, humanitarian and churches.

Growing consensus emerged to the fact that the various sectors had reservations in a National Healing process led by politicians. Understanding the undeniable contribution that was made by politicians in promoting conflict and violence in the worst violence in the history of Zimbabwe, it was submitted that the national Healing process should be led by independent bodies not directly linked to the existing political parties.

The church and civil society articulated pre-requisite fundamental minimum guidelines to be followed for the National Healing process to be credible and authentic. Firstly they submitted that the process is not a standalone event, it needs to be complimented by media reforms, re-institutionalization of key state arms like the security forces and upholding of the rule of law; secondly it should be all inclusive, assume a bottom up approach, should be community based, decentralized and victim centered.

Thirdly, other basic standards include national truth telling programs by victims and perpetrators of political violence, prosecution of perpetrators of human rights crimes, no blanket amnesty for crimes against humanity, reform of educational curriculum to embrace peace building, and gender equity.

To make effective readdress of the plight of victims of political violence, it was submitted that there should be both restorative and retributive justice, national rehabilitation centers should be set up for psycho-social support and security of victims should be guaranteed in truth telling.

Concerns were raised over the fresh outbreaks of violence in Epworth and Buhera, the controversy surrounding the mining of diamonds in Chiadzwa, the continued fanning of hate speech by the national media particularly the Herald newspaper and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings.

In his key note, the Vice President dwelt much on the pre -independence conflicts which led to the liberation struggle and took a swipe at the post independence conflicts which brought about the coalition government and the prolonged negotiations between the three conflicting political parties. "During that time, there were a lot of questions without answers and people had to resort to violence to get their freedom. The system was very easy to lock people up to silence them "said Nkomo.

Minister Holland commented the civil society for the relentless work done in the past decades in agitating for democratization. She encouraged the civil society to remain focused during this time of transition until we get to the post conflict Zimbabwe.

ROHR Zimbabwe challenges the three principals to the GPA to walk the talk, publicly denounce violence, acknowledge past wrongs, and accept responsibility for their contribution to violence and crimes against humanity as a gesture of their serious commitment towards National Healing to guarantee public confidence that violence will never be an option to solving conflict.

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