social contract would need to be established so that all sectors of the state and society would be able to interrogate how the amnesties can be dealt with to deal with the future. Who should pay compensation on what crimes? The Symposium had time to deliberate the question of restitution and compensation for past human rights violations. While it is clear that the state has been responsible for most human rights violations in Zimbabwe, the question of individual responsibility lingers on most peoples’ minds. The delegates attending the Symposium noted that it would be difficult and unacceptable for the government to use their own taxpayers’ money to compensate for human rights violations against the people of Zimbabwe. They noted that it would be akin to people compensating themselves while at the same time perpetrators continued to enjoy the proceeds of their ill-gotten wealth received as rewards for brutalising Zimbabweans etc. Issues around the abuse of the State Liabilities Act by the State were raised and the need for the repeal of such legislation was put on the table. so that consensus is built around the proposal. Reconfiguration of the NPRC A call was made from the Symposium to have the NPRC reconfigured in terms of its Commissioners. An argument was put forward that since the NPRC Commissioners had been appointed by former President Mugabe, the whole process had been flawed and done for reasons not meant to deal with the transitional justice question in Zimbabwe. Two suggestions were put forward. The first one was that the NPRC needs to be reconfigured and have extra Commissioners or one more from Matabeleland. The idea was to get someone who is knowledgeable about Gukurahundi and would also be able to represent the victims and survivors of Gukurahundi. The second suggestion was to have Commissioners who did not have the right qualifications and apparently had not been appointed procedurally to be asked to step down and make way for more democratically elected ones who had the correct qualifications to be sitting in the positions. A stand - alone Gukurahundi legislation – any takers? A discussion was held around the proposal for a stand - alone piece of legislation to deal with the Gukurahundi question. The proponents for this law argue that the atrocities in Matabeleland were so gross that they needed to be dealt with outside he normal realm of any other human rights violations. Other observers have however argued that to do so would be attempting to elevate Gukurahundi to a higher status than other episodes of human rights violations such as Murambatsvina, the massacres of Zimbabweans during the liberation struggle, the 2008 election related violence and the massacres of people by state security forces in Manicaland and the Midlands over diamonds and gold artisanal mining. All the arguments have merit and negotiations will have to be held 34 2018 TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE POLICY SYMPOSIUM REPORT