These back to back presentations were
designed to give as full a picture of the status
quo as possible. From the NPRC, the presenters
were the Chairperson Justice Selo Nare and
Commissioner Choice Ndoro.
Otto Saki, Blessing Gorejena and Annah Moyo’s
presentations followed which were like a bridge
between the past and the future, making a case
as to why, considering all past processes, it was
necessary to have dialogue on the possibility of
a transitional justice policy for Zimbabwe.
Mr Otto Saki presented on key issues that
should be considered when developing a TJ
policy Framework in the context of Zimbabwe.
He first noted that there are divergent views
among Zimbabweans on whether the country is
ready for reconciliation or not given that there
has been a change of leadership, but the alleged
wrongdoers are still in positions of power. He
raised a point on the need for creative expertise
in crafting a realistic policy for TJ in the
prevailing Zimbabwean context.
To borrow lessons from regional and
international experiences relating to transitional
justice policy development and
implementation, there was a panel discussion
focusing on the African Union Transitional
Justice Policy Framework. Anna Moyo from
CSVR, Koat Aleer from the African Union and
Jackson Odong spoke about the dynamics of
translating policy to practice. It was noted that
the African Union model was a good tool for the
process. Kloat Aleer noted that the AU
transitional justice policy seeks to address
governance deficits and developmental
challenges with a view to advancing the goals of
Agenda 2063, the Africa we Want. Jackson
Odong’s presentation gave the practical
example of how Uganda’s TJ policy was crafted
with competency, albeit that it took a long time
to be finalised. However, the country’s
implementation process of the TJ policy was
slow. Odong warned that Zimbabwe needs to
2
be wary of the fact that oftentimes governments
hides behind TJ processes that seek to
rehabilitate and develop victims. Thus, to avoid
TJ at times governments push for developments
hiding the truth and perpetuating impunity in
the process.
The second day was marked by activities which
saw participants visiting different sites of
atrocities in Matabeleland where the
Gukurahundi atrocities occurred. The visits
took participants to places such as Bhalagwe,
Entumbane, individual homes of selected
survivor families, as well as Amagugu World
Heritage Site in Matopos. Dance, drama and
poetry by local theatre groups depicting
injustice linked to the Gukurahundi question
were exhibited. In the afternoon, the visits
ended with a major speech that was delivered
by the OSISA Executive Director, Mr. Siphosami
Malunga who spoke on the Gukurahundi, the
work of the NPRC and how the state could
transform the lives of those who had suffered
the Matabeleland atrocities.
The third day was one of policy reflection. The
participants got into sectoral groups and
deliberated on key themes such as truth
seeking, justice, remembrance, reparations,
documentation and archiving. The groups
deliberated on the discussions of the last two
days and came up with draft proposals of the
content they would want to see in a policy on
transitional justice for civil society. The findings
were presented to the plenary. NTJWG was
commissioned to take the views of the plenary
and work with a core team to draft the policy
imperatives and strategy for its realisation.
The symposium produced recommendations is
three categories:
a. What are the issues that a transitional justice
policy in Zimbabwe must seek to address.
b. What are the tools and actors necessary to
ensure that the target issues are addressed.
c. What character must the process take to be
2018 TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE POLICY SYMPOSIUM REPORT