Mnangagwa says government can help rebury victims of Gukurahundi

Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa today said the government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, can assist to rebury Gukurahundi victims if there are any remains that need proper burial.

He was responding to a question by non-constituency Member of Parliament Priscillah Misihairabwi-Mushonga who wanted to know how the government is handling the issue of decent burials for victims of Gukurahundi- the 1980s massacre of civilians mainly in Matebeleland during the civil strife in the region.

She said villagers from Matebeleland had noticed that people in Mashonaland were reburying people that died during the liberation struggle and were not properly buried and wanted to know how they can go about exhuming the bodies of people killed during Gukurahundi and reburying them.

Mnangagwa said this was the job of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“If there are remains that need to be reburied, that can be done by that ministry,” he said.

Mnangagwa has largely been blamed for the massacres. He was Minister of State Security at the time.

The commander of the army at the time, Solomon Mujuru, who was known as Rex Nhongo at the time, was largely absolved though it has now emerged that he was informed about the massacres but did nothing.

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