Tsholotsho Villagers Call For Gukurahundi Public Holiday
Villagers from Mkhonyeni Village in Tsholotsho District, Matabeleland North Province, are calling for March 16 to be recognised as a national public holiday to honour female victims of Gukurahundi who were killed on that date in 1983.
The villagers are also demanding that the area be turned into a museum to preserve the history of the atrocities committed by the Fifth Brigade in their village.
On March 16, 1983, 21 women and a young man were killed by the Fifth Brigade under Chief Siphoso’s leadership.
Each year, survivors and families of the victims gather to remember their loved ones, but this year, their calls for national recognition have grown stronger.
The community has decided to write to Parliament, urging lawmakers to officially declare March 16 as a Women’s Day to acknowledge women’s struggles and resilience.
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) and other partners have recently supported the cause by donating fencing wire and a gate to enclose the burial site of the victims.
Speaking during a Gukurahundi memorial service held on March 16 in the area, one villager said:
This is a sacred place, it must be protected so that even long after we are gone, future generations will know what happened here. The government must acknowledge this day officially.
Gogo MaNxumalo, a survivor of the massacre, is among those calling for March 16 to be officially recognised at the national level. She said:
I am in great pain because of what happened here. When I speak, I feel like crying because I have lost so much…
They took them away, escorting them like cattle. When they arrived at Langeni, we would hear gunshots — those were our relatives.
When they were doing that, they didn’t care about anything. During that time, I had my newborn.
She said her husband’s younger brother, along with his wife and many others, was among those killed in the massacre.
Survivor Patricia Dlamini urged for the immediate recognition of the tragedy through the establishment of a public holiday and a museum. She said:
We are not happy about how this case is being handled by the government.
As one of the victims, my point is that this incident happened just after independence, and yet up to today, we are still in shock.
Why were women killed in such a painful manner?
On top of that, it was during Women’s Month, which is why we are requesting a public holiday.
We kindly ask for a museum to be built, a public holiday, and proper shelter for us survivors,” she said.
Right now, this is my home we are talking about—where I lost everything.
We were left with only the clothes we were wearing.
Our property was destroyed, leaving us in poverty until today. I am homeless, struggling to survive.
Dlamini said they lost livestock, including cows, donkeys, goats, and poultry, during the atrocities, which further compounded the hardships faced by the survivors.
More: Southern Eye
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