Gukurahundi victims to be instant milionaires?

image:www.zimetro.co.zw

There have been calls by a civic organisation for Gukurahundi and the 2005 Operation Murambatsvina victims to be paid at least $2 million each as compensation. The Zanu PF deputy national spokesperson Cain Mathema has since labelled these calls as “stupid and daft.”

Firstly, I am curious to find out how this civic organisation (Zupag) came up with the figure $2 million. Can the value of the life of a loved one be enumerated in monetary terms? If it is, is $2 million enough?

If ever this suggestion is taken seriously, I pray that a bad precedent is not set, a bad precedent that allows heinous crimes to be covered by money. Justice must still prevail. Politicians could massacre people at will as long as they have the economic muscle power to buy the forgiveness of the surviving victims. But even when some consolation is paid to victims and survivors, the long arm of the law should still catch up with perpetrators. Icala aliboli.

Approximately 20 000 people were killed in the Gukurahundi genocide and hence the victims cannot be below the region of 20 000 (remember the Murambatsvina victims as well), multiplied by $2 million would result in a staggering $40 billion, to be conservative. Honestly, where on earth can such money come from considering the Zimbabwean government’s man-made economic handicap resulting from the gross abuse of public funds and shameless corruption by the political elites from Zanu-PF.

Nevertheless, Mr Mathema’s statement is disturbing. To treat such a sensitive matter with such downplay shows the non-existence of remorse. But then again, what else can we expect from political elites.

He argues that The Unity Accord of 1987 is compensation enough for the victims, and he further adds that in any case, it was the Britons who were butchering the people of Matebeleland and Midlands Provinces in order to divide the country.This couldn’t be any further from the truth.

The agreement can be argued to have been just but a piece of paper because of the marginalisation of the Matabeleland region that has continued unabated since 1980. The fact that the atrocities in these areas were conducted by fellow Zimbabweans remains, and the feeble attempt at re-writing history will not be entertained no matter how sophisticated the propaganda is. The attempt is laughable, although its not a laughing matter at all!!!