3. The Midlands and Matabeleland Atrocities In January 1983, following reports of banditry-related activities, the government deployed the North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)-trained 5th Brigade to Matabeleland. They committed massive atrocities which claimed around 20 000 civilian lives.4 This proved that the old system of oppression was still intact and the majority government was ready to step into the shoes of the old regime in the face of any resistance, even against its own people. While there was official silence about the atrocities in the 1980s, various groups were working at pursuing justice and seeking accountability for the oppressed. On 16 March 1983, Catholic representatives, consisting of CCJP Director Mike Auret, Bishop Karlen and Bishop Mutume met with Prime Minister Robert Mugabe and presented him with a comprehensive dossier of evidence of the atrocities which were being committed by the 5th Brigade in Matabeleland and the Midlands. The evidence had been collected by priests and missionaries who worked in rural Matabeleland and the Midlands. Alongside the dossier, the representatives presented a statement by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference entitled, Reconciliation is Still Possible. The statement recognized government’s duty to maintain law and order even by military means but said that the “methods which should be firm and just have degenerated into brutality and atrocity”. The document appealed to the government to find ways of reconciling the parties involved and adopting less harsh strategies in areas of disturbance.5 The first documents detailing the atrocities had been submitted to Prime Minister Robert Mugabe on 12 February 1983 but it was only after the face-to-face meeting he had with CCJP representatives on 16 March 1983 that there appeared to be a change in 5th Brigade tactics and a decline in atrocities. This could have been attributed to Mugabe himself responding to prevent further mass killings and beatings. Nevertheless, on 6 April 1983 Prime Minister Mugabe again refuted allegations of atrocities and accused his critics of being “a band of Jeremiahs [which] included reactionary foreign journalists, Non-Governmental Organizations of dubious status in our midst and sanctimonious prelates”, accusing the CCJP of condemning the 5th Brigade but not the dissidents.6 In January 1984, the government set up the Chihambakwe Committee of Inquiry to investigate the atrocities in Matabeleland and the Midlands. The four-man Committee was chaired by lawyer Simplicius Chihambakwe. Its findings were never published, although it took testimonies from many witnesses over a five-day period from 10 to 14 January 1984, including from the Director of the CCJP. The witnesses gave evidence of multiple atrocities including mass shootings, burning to death of people in huts, mass beatings, mass detentions involving various methods of torture and general psychological harassment. At the outset, the Committee had stated that it was only hearing evidence of incidences between December 1982 and March 1983. In 1984, as abuses continued, ZANU(PF) militia and the Central Intelligence Organization joined in. Youths patrolled various areas in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions in preparation for the approaching election. In July 1985, at the height of the conflict, elections were held and ZANU(PF) won while PF-ZAPU retained all 15 seats in Matabeleland. Taking Transitional Justice to the People – Outreach Report 3