The Forum approached its program in a manner that informed the participants about the concept of transitional justice, how it works and has been applied in other settings. Participants were given opportunities during the brief presentations to contribute in the debates. The transitional justice approaches that dominated the Taking Transitional Justice to the People's discussions were truth commissions, reparations, truth for amnesty and prosecutions. The participants made interesting contributions that should be used to inform and shape the direction of transitional justice discourses in Zimbabwe. What became clear was that people want to talk about their past and they need the platform to do so. What they were not sure about was the possibility, in light of the fact that ZANU (PF) still wields enormous power to scuttle the process before it even begins. Accordingly, there were calls for thorough institutional reforms particularly the security sector, which they said was blatantly partisan, unprofessional and cannot be trusted. The participants proffered comprehensive options for security sector reforms, which they believed, could rescue these institutions from partisan influencing. It was difficult to agree on the starting period for this transitional justice. The participants and victims constantly referred to the two phases - the recent past (1998 - 2008), and the distant past (1980s and back into the Rhodesian era). While challenges in handling the Rhodesian violations were acknowledged, there were serious concerns that leaving the era uncovered was an injustice on its own. It was pointed out that the seeds of current violence and impunity were sown during that time. A small group of about 50–60 people per meeting was randomly invited to attend the meetings. The selection was not controlled/scientific in any way. This explains the gender representation at the discussions. Furthermore, the facilitators needed small manageable groups to be effective. However, in the rural areas articulate teachers and other professionals attended these meetings and contributed to the lively discussions. 2