Table 18: How far back should transitional justice go? From 2000 Frequency Percentage 1 305 41 From the 1990s 371 12 Just after independence 563 18 Before independence 459 14 92 3 Before colonialism Other Don’t know 63 2 336 11 When asked which period they preferred transitional justice or national healing to cover, the respondents’ suggestions varied from region to region and according to victims’ experiences. Such experiences differed according to generation and geography. Those born after independence preferred the period that covered more recent events, of which they had vivid memories. Others, particularly from the Matabeleland and the Midlands regions, favoured the time period covering the Gukurahundi era, while those in areas such as Mbare and Epworth opted for the time period that included the 2005 Operation Murambatsvina.* Those in the farming areas related to the 2000 farm invasions because for them that memory was the most vivid. Specific trends from the regional analysis show that in Masvingo, 51 per cent preferred the healing process to take place from 2000 onwards while 38 per cent from Matabeleland North and 36 per cent from Bulawayo wanted the process to capture the period from just after independence. Twenty-two per cent from Matabeleland South recommended the period before independence. Only 16 per cent of Harare preferred the process to commence from the 90s. Thirteen per cent of the respondents either did not know or they preferred other times, which were scattered outside the periods captured. Table 19: How Far Back Transitional Justice Should Go, by Province Before colonialism Before independence Just after independence From the 1990s From 2000 Some other time period Don’t know Harare 2 13 14 16 43 2 10 Mashonaland Central 3 20 11 4 44 3 16 Mashonaland East 3 17 12 11 46 2 10 Mashonaland West 4 15 13 13 43 2 13 Matabeleland North 4 13 38 10 26 0 8 Bulawayo 4 15 36 13 24 2 5 Matabeleland South 2 22 29 13 25 1 8 Masvingo 2 11 12 10 51 4 12 Midlands 1 14 21 13 40 0 10 Manicaland 4 10 13 11 49 3 10 ZIMBABWE 3 14 18 12 41 2 11 * In May 2005 the government launched a ‘clean-up’ operation of its cities known as Operation Murambatsvina. It was described as a programme to enforce by-laws to stop all forms of alleged ‘illegal activities in areas such as vending, illegal structures, illegal cultivation’, among others, in the cities. The subsequent UN report is available at <http:// ww2.unhabitat.org/documents/ZimbabweReport.pdf> [accessed 19 July 2011]. Transitional Justice Survey – A Report of the People’s Perceptions and Recommendations 21