BULILIMA 1. CONSTITUENCY: BULILIMA 2. PROVINCE: MATABELELAND SOUTH 3. VENUE: MAHEFA PRIMARY SCHOOL 4. DATE: 03 FEBRUARY 2010 5. PARTICIPANTS: No.: 75 Sex: 58% female Age: 17–78, average 43 years From: church leaders, youths, women, political activists, traditional leaders and government employees 6. RECOMMENDATIONS i. Security and freedom • It is difficult for victims to start expressing the way they feel or the path they should take because the political atmosphere is not conducive to free expression [one participant]. ii. Truth recovery • There is need for a truth recovery mechanism, but who can lead the process and who can be trusted? Civil society is already working in the area and they are already assisting the victims of political violence [political activists]. • Traditional leaders have lost credibility, as most of them are perpetrators of human rights violations [political activists]. • The churches are composed of people from different political backgrounds, which makes it difficult for the churches to lead the process [some participants]. iii. Reparations • Those who spearheaded the Matabeleland and Midlands massacres must visit the victims of Gukurahundi to apologize. After the admission and acknowledgement of the wrong, a reparations programme must be put in place. The victims of Gukurahundi need to be rehabilitated. Some may need counselling because they have not been able to deal with the trauma. Where possible, the perpetrators must be made to pay for the damages and the pain they caused [male participant]. iv. Institutional reform • All government departments must be investigated for corruption as this is eating the system down to the core, especially in the judiciary. • The media require reform as they are not providing balanced coverage, favouring one party over the other. • The security sector must be seen to perform its duties professionally without fear or favour. • The traditional leadership needs to be reformed to ensure that traditional leaders remain apolitical and respect the cultures of other communities in areas where they preside over people of different cultures. Taking Transitional Justice to the People – Outreach Report 109