54 They too do not conform to Gay’s typology, and, despite their terrible experiences, they subscribe to the “virtuous” circle rather than the “vicious”. They see the problems, understand the reasons why there are problems, but see that there are ways to move towards a better future and a functioning democracy. On transitional justice It is important to have information on past abuses to ensure that the truth is known, the perpetrators are brought to justice, there is reconciliation and resolving conflict between different groups, provide compensation for the victims and provide public acknowledgement of the suffering of the victims103. According to Aryer Neier, there are two crucial reasons for confronting the past. Firstly, it is necessary to recognise the worth and dignity of those victimised by abuses of the past. Failure to confront what happened to them is, in a sense, saying that those people do not matter - only the future is important and this further worsens their victimisation. Secondly, it shows that the rule of law is being upheld, and those that committed the abuses are not immunised from society’s efforts to deal with the past. Neier goes on to say that establishing the truth is critical to pinpoint the responsibility of both the authors of the abuses and the perpetrators. Although accountability is important, it is not sufficient, and there has to be acknowledgement as, more often than not, the public know who is responsible. “Acknowledgement is also a way of providing an assurance to the victims that at least the perpetrators have recognised their guilt and, in that fashion, have suggested that their own wrongdoing is a form that will not be repeated”. As has been seen above, Zimbabwe has an unenviable history of gross human rights violations followed by impunity, and rarely have the victims been consulted about their fate. This small study is one of the first to directly consult with Zimbabwean victims about transitional justice, and, as can be seen, they not only have a good appreciation of the history, but also very strong views about how this history should be dealt with. Indeed, it would be surprising if they did not hold strong views on their abuse, but it is gratifying that these victims have developed views that are wholly in accord with modern thinking on gross human rights violations and impunity. They seek accountability, not only as truth, but as justice and a pre-condition for peace. As was shown in the work on democracy with the victims, they have strong views on the nature of the democracy that they wish to live in, and their views on transitional justice are complimentary to their views on democracy. Just as the democracy they seek should be people-centred and people-driven, so should transitional justice be people-centred and people-driven. They validate the recommendations of the earlier Johannesburg Symposium, but stress very strongly their demand that any form of transitional justice in the future must derive from the consensus of the victims themselves. Reconciliation cannot be produced at a negotiating table – this much Zimbabweans have learned from the 1980 experience – and true reconciliation arises when the victims are able to understand and forgive their tormentors. Here these Zimbabwean victims echo Judge Goldstone’s comment that justice does not need peace, rather peace requires justice. Overview As can thus be seen, the qualitative work with these two groups endorses some aspects of the Afrobarometer survey work. The youth and the victims are no less critical of the failure of the state to deliver economic and social justice than the broad population in Zimbabwe, and they are no less 103 See Neieh. A (1997), Dealing with the Past: Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa, PRETORIA: IDASA. IDASA: Zimbabwe at the Cross-Roads: Views of Zimbabwean citizens on democracy and transitional justice.