HEAL ZIMBABWE - BASELINE STUDY REPORT 8.2. Challenges and Levelling the Playing Field National peace, healing and reconciliation processes across the globe are sometimes treated with suspicion. In Zimbabwe, political polarisation and the long years of repression have made people lose trust in government-led presided programmes. On the other hand, those in positions of power have made it difficult to build mutual trust with the citizens. As such, most respondents argued that the NPRC processes could be hindered by mistrust, lack of political will, partisan dispensation of duties by those responsible for national healing programming. In addition, there is generally a lack of readiness by the victims and perpetrators to negotiate for peace and reconciliation which affects the healing process. Lack of political will by policy makers and cooperation by government departments could hinder the effectiveness of the NPRC and its interventions. One respondent argued that the ZHRC is not meeting the people’s expectations as it is not deterring human rights violations which could also affect the NPRC. This respondent said “at present the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission is receiving reports, but the violations are not getting any attention, “ ...at present the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission is receiving reports, but the violations are not getting any attention, this will also be the same with the NPRC.” this will also be the same with the NPRC.”98 This means the NPRC may suffer from lack of support by political actors and it may not be able to enforce action against those found guilty. As such, it is therefore necessary that enforcement mechanisms be put in place to avoid lack of compliance. Respondents also raised a concern about communities’ readiness to accept the reconciliation process. Respondents argued that most communities are still politically divided, the perpetrators of violence and conflict are still in power and the victims are still filled with fear. One respondent said “When the perpetrators are the judges and the final arbiter, then patronage will rise while political interference by those in positions of power could hinder the reconciliation progress as well as further “ When the perpetrators are the judges and the final arbiter, then patronage will rise while political interference by those in positions of power could hinder the reconciliation progress as well as further reinforce fear among the victims of violence.” Personal interview with a former government employee in Murehwa on the 13th of August 2018 98 55