BULAWAYO – State Enterprises Minister Gorden Moyo shed tears Monday evening at the Bulawayo Press Club as he related how his parents’ rural home was burnt to ashes by 5th Brigade soldiers.
Moyo, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) Bulawayo chairman, said he had escaped together with his parents and missed death by a whisker after the whole village in Sogwala area in Lower Gwelo was burnt down to ashes by the soldiers who, were being led by the late Zanu (PF) politburo member, Richard Hove.
“It was very painful and traumatising to see my whole village including my parents’ home being burnt down to ashes by Richard Hove, who was leading a group of Zanu (PF) supporters and 5th Brigade soldiers.
“We actually escaped death by a whisker and lucky to be alive. So no one can tell us today to sweep the Gukurahundi issue under the carpet. A Truth Reconciliation Commission should be set up like what happened in Rwanda ,South Africa and Burundi to deal with Gukurahundi,” said Moyo in tears.
More than 20 000 Zimbabweans were massacred by the Zanu (PF) government in the 1980s during the Gukurahundi operation conducted by 5th Brigade army in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions. There were accused of being dissidents and were buried in mass graves while some were thrown alive in disused mines.
President Robert Mugabe, who is the Zanu (PF) leader, has refused to apologise for the killings although he has called the crackdown “a moment of madness.” Moyo said it was a mistake to go into government with Zanu (PF). Radio VOP
