Abstract:
Since the Matabeleland massacres in the early 1980s, reconciliation remains
unattainable in this region of Zimbabwe. Reasons for this include the fact that
survivors of these atrocities have not received the acknowledgement they require
from the government. As a result, their perception is that the government has
continued to repress them by failing to provide for their needs. More so, the
preceding episodes of violence in the region have engendered fear, anxiety and
distress among a population that is battling to deal with its past. This article
explores the attempts by the government and civil society representatives in the
region to facilitate reconciliation and seeks to determine their ability to establish
durable peace at the community level. Drawing from fi eldwork undertaken in
Matabeleland in April 2014, this article describes what the community identifi es
as central requirements for reconciliation to occur, as against what is provided
by the national framework for reconciliation implemented by the government.
