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Farirai Machivenyika-Senior Reporter

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday called on the British Government to apologise for their brutal century-long colonial rule that dispossessed indigenous Zimbabweans of their land and subjected them to other forms of abuses.

The President said this at the launch of a study initiated by the Zimbabwe National Elders Forum (ZNEF) titled; “Land Displacements: The Untold Stories of Crimes, injustices, trauma and losses experienced by indigenous Zimbabweans during the colonial era (1890-1980): A case for reparations.”

ZNEF is a grouping of eminent Zimbabweans drawn from various sections of society, including the clergy, academia and business, among others.

The President commended ZNEF for its collective will towards the restoration of the country’s dignity in the aftermath of the subjugation of indigenous Zimbabweans by the racist colonial regime.

“As many would recall, the racist colonial regime started grabbing land in 1893, a process that was further consolidated by pieces of unjust legislation such as the Land Apportionment Act of 1930, and the Native Land Husbandry Act of 1950, amongst others,” he said.

“It is, therefore, pleasing that the Forum intends to go further and comprehensively document the untold story of the injustices, trauma and loss of lives and livelihoods experienced by indigenous black Zimbabweans due to colonial land appropriation and forced movements”.

President Mnangagwa said the proposed study will put forward recommendations that will explore options to assist in the long-term healing of affected communities as well as for rekindling and recreating goodwill between the Zimbabwean society at large and the former colonial power.

“We have observed and indeed quite recently, as former colonial powers; the United Kingdom apologising to the Mau Mau of Kenya and Germany also apologising to the Mbanderu, Herero and Nama people of Namibia.

“Therefore, we ask, when are the rest of us in the former colonies going to receive similar apologies from these people, the colonisers, the British? We wonder. We need it, they must apologise. It is no secret that colonial violence was brutal and systematic and those of us old enough to tell the tale, still bear scars and associated trauma from the violence,” he said.

President Mnangagwa added that during the struggles for freedom and self-determination in both the First and Second Chimurenga, the efforts were considered criminal resulting in the execution of many fighters while others were herded into concentration camps (MaKeep).

“We remember this more than a century later because the residual effects of decades-long pain and bitterness are still real. Indeed, we can no longer remain silent while our people carry the scars of a painful and cruel past,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said the time had come for Zimbabwe to engage its erstwhile former colonial power, and objectively and astutely seek the much-delayed yet important post-colonial gesture of reparations, restorations and much-needed apology and reconciliation.

“Equally, the subject of reparations is not new but the calls for restitution continue to grow louder and louder,” he said.

Some of the elders who attended the ground-breaking ceremony of a study by the Zimbabwe National Elders Forum on the effects of colonialism on indigenous Zimbabweans in Harare yesterday. – Picture: Justin Mutenda.

President Mnangagwa said while his administration has been forthright in accommodating compensation of white former farmers in respect of improvements on the farms redistributed by the State, Government could not afford to ignore the cries of indigenous Zimbabweans for justice.

“Hence, the reason why Government has placed substantial value and significance to the journey that the Elders Forum has embarked on through this proposed study. In retrospect, it is the colonial power that should have compensated Zimbabwe first and Zimbabwe then using part of the reparations to compensate the white former farmers for the improvements.

“We realise that national healing will not be complete without the empathy similar to that accorded to the said farmers. It is, therefore, important for our key knowledge industries and institutions to support this study by the Elders Forum so that we harvest as many enriching insights into the human experiences of colonialism and its aftermath,” he said.

The President assured ZNEF of Government’s support in its endeavour and called on Zimbabweans, at home and abroad, to also support the initiative as it was an important investment to make in honour of the country’s forebearers and future generations.

ZNEF chairman, Reverend Felix Mukonowengwe, said while the history of the country under colonialism had been documented, the trauma experienced by indigenous Zimbabweans has not been fully recorded, which is what they hoped to achieve in the study.

He said the remains of some of the country’s brave warriors like Chiefs Mashayamombe, Mapondera, Chiwashira and Chingaira are still held in British museums after they were captured and killed in horrific circumstances for resisting colonial rule.

“These atrocities are just a few examples of the injustices inflicted upon our forebears and this project aims to tell their stories from the perspective of the victims. Before colonisation, blacks were actively engaged in prosperous economic activities, trading primarily with the Portuguese through agriculture and mining.

“One can only speculate how Zimbabwe would have thrived if colonisation had not occurred with estimates suggesting our economy could have exceeded US$500 billion by now. Colonialism at its core is a deeply harmful ideology that forces people from their homes due to human greed. We believe that international courts will eventually hear cases related to our reparation efforts, supported by compelling legal arguments and ample evidence,” Rev Mukonowengwe said.

One of the experts taking part in the study, Professor Mandivamba Rukuni, said the project would require at least US$5 million to complete.

The money would cover costs for travelling both domestically and internationally, hiring of experts to gather evidence among other expenses.

“The objectives are in two parts, first is to actually take the coloniser to court and win reparations, restorations and we are going to demand a formal apology,” he said.

Prof Rukuni said they have gone through case studies of countries that have taken a similar approach to demand reparations, especially Namibia and Kenya.

“And by the time we’re ready to go for litigation, we also have to hire the best legal minds, not only here, but in their own jurisdictions.

“We have to take them to court in their own jurisdiction. They have to be found guilty in their own capital cities and then we will have to take them to court in other jurisdictions, especially where their friends are. You know those big countries who are their friends. We also have to find them guilty there so that when they visit, they have to be arrested and told to pay,” he said.

Kenya’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Stella Munyi, urged Zimbabwe to be steadfast in their fight for reparations and apology from the British Government.

“The issue of compensation for the victims of the Mau Mau Uprising became a contentious one, with the British government initially reluctant to acknowledge its responsibility and provide adequate reprieve,” she said.

“However, as the international community and the Kenyan activists continued to pressure the UK government, the tide began to turn. Likewise, I encourage you, the tide will turn. In 2013, the British Government finally agreed to pay a total of £19,9 million to over 500 elderly Kenyans who suffered torture and abuse under the colonial administration during the Mau Mau Uprising as compensation and costs being full and final settlements for the abuses suffered.

“The Kenyan case provides us with important lessons to take home. The lessons from the Mau Mau compensation case are numerous and provide insight for governments and international institutions dealing with the legacy of colonial-era human rights abuses.”