Despite numerous challenges that have characterised the socio-political environment in Zimbabwe, civil society has been discussing the prospects of transitional justice mechanisms in Zimbabwe for a long time. The Breaking the Silence Report, published by the Legal Resources Foundation and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace began this debate. Further, in 2001 the Amani Trust in Bulawayo convened a 'Truth and Justice Conference', which focussed specifically on the situation in Matabeleland. It was, however, a 'Civil Society and Justice in Zimbabwe' Symposium convened in Johannesburg in August 2003 that, for the first time, provided a relatively detailed framework of issues that needed to be addressed. The Johannesburg Symposium brought together leaders from 74 civil society organisations in Zimbabwe, colleagues from civic organisations in South Africa and a number of experts from other jurisdictions. The main purpose of the Symposium was to explore how best to achieve justice in the broadest possible sense for the many victims of past and present human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. The Johannesburg Symposium proposed the establishment of a 'Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission' (TJRC) to deal with the civil, political, social and economic violations in the colonial and post-colonial dispensation in Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the Symposium Declaration recommended among other things that the proposed TJRC be able to: ‘Investigate human rights violations, recommend cases for prosecution, provide for redress and reparations to victims, recommend for the lustration of all those involved in human rights violations, bring out the social and economic human rights violations perpetrated since colonial times and to ensure community reconciliation.’1 On 9 and 10 September 2008 the Forum convened a follow-up meeting to the Johannesburg Symposium. The 2008 follow-up meeting restated and reiterated the resolutions made at the Johannesburg Symposium. The meeting further noted the need for an all-inclusive and comprehensive process based on fundamental principles of justice and accountability such as: victim–centric approaches; consultative participation of all stakeholders, particularly the victims; the establishment of the truth; acknowledgment; justice, compensation and reparations; national healing and reconciliation; non-repetition (never again); gender sensitivity; transparency and accountability and nation building and reintegration2. 1 Declaration of the Johannesburg Symposium, August 2003, in Civil Society and Justice in Zimbabwe Summary of Proceedings of a Symposium held in Johannesburg 11-13 August 2003. http://www.santep.co.za/satz/zim2003.htm (last accessed 10 June 2009). 2 Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Statement on the 15 September 2008 Agreement between ZANU PF and the two MDC formations. 5