The Gukurahundi genocide remains one of the darkest chapters in the history of Zimbabwe. Between 1983 and 1987, an estimated 40,000 Ndebele people were massacred by the Zimbabwean government under Robert Mugabe’s rule. Hundreds of thousands were maimed, displaced, and forced to flee to neighboring countries like South Africa and Botswana. This genocide was not just an attack on individuals—it was an orchestrated attempt to erase the Ndebele identity and weaken Mthwakazi as a distinct nation.
Under international law, specifically the principles of the United Nations (UN) Charter, a people who have suffered genocide are entitled to self-determination. The restoration of the Mthwakazi Kingdom is not just a political aspiration; it is a moral and legal right. By examining the historical precedents set by other genocides, such as the Holocaust, which led to the establishment of the State of Israel, we can see that Mthwakazi’s claim to self-determination is both justified and urgent.
The Gukurahundi Genocide: A Crime Against Humanity
The Gukurahundi atrocities were carried out by the Fifth Brigade, a military unit trained by North Korea and directly commanded by the Mugabe-led government. The mass killings, enforced disappearances, and systemic torture specifically targeted the Ndebele people, the indigenous inhabitants of Mthwakazi. Villages were burnt to the ground, pregnant women were slaughtered, and mass graves were filled with innocent civilians—all while the world remained silent.
This was not an ordinary military operation—it was genocide, a deliberate attempt to eliminate a people. Genocide is recognized under international law as the gravest crime against humanity, and its victims are entitled to both justice and reparations. However, decades after the massacres, no one has been held accountable, and the Ndebele people continue to be marginalized politically, economically, and socially in Zimbabwe.
If Zimbabwe cannot acknowledge and compensate for the crimes of Gukurahundi, then the only path forward for the people of Mthwakazi is self-determination.
Historical Precedents: The Holocaust and the Creation of Israel
The Holocaust, carried out by Nazi Germany between 1941 and 1945, resulted in the systematic extermination of six million Jews. In the aftermath, the international community recognized that the Jewish people needed their own sovereign homeland. This led to the establishment of Israel in 1948, ensuring that Jewish people could govern themselves and never again face such persecution without protection.
The Gukurahundi genocide, while smaller in scale, had similar motives and consequences. Just as the Jews were targeted for extermination due to their ethnic and cultural identity, the Ndebele people of Mthwakazi were slaughtered, displaced, and forced into systemic oppression by the ruling government in Harare. If the international community accepted the right of the Jewish people to self-rule after the Holocaust, why should the Ndebele people of Mthwakazi not have the same right?
The Right to Self-Determination Under International Law
The United Nations Charter upholds the right of all peoples to self-determination—the ability to govern themselves free from persecution and external control. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) also affirms that historically marginalized groups have the right to political independence if their rights have been systematically violated.
The people of Mthwakazi meet all the criteria for self-determination under international law:
- They have suffered genocide at the hands of the Zimbabwean government.
- They have been politically marginalized, denied economic opportunities, and excluded from governance.
- They have a distinct identity, language, and culture that is separate from the Shona-dominated Zimbabwean state.
- They were forcibly incorporated into Zimbabwe, as Mthwakazi was historically a separate kingdom before colonization.
Given these conditions, the restoration of Mthwakazi’s sovereignty is not only legitimate but necessary to prevent future oppression.
Why the Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) Fights for Justice
The MRP is committed to fighting for the recognition of Gukurahundi as genocide and advocating for Mthwakazi’s right to self-rule. We demand that the Zimbabwean government:
- Acknowledge Gukurahundi as genocide.
- Provide reparations to the victims and their families.
- Allow the people of Mthwakazi to decide their political future through a referendum on self-determination.
The struggle for Mthwakazi is a struggle for justice. Just as the world stood behind Israel, South Sudan, and Kosovo in their quests for self-rule, we call upon the international community, human rights organizations, and regional bodies to stand with Mthwakazi.
The Path Forward for Mthwakazi
The Gukurahundi genocide was not just a historical event—it is a wound that remains open, affecting the lives of Mthwakazi people today. The victims have never received justice, and their descendants continue to suffer under a government that refuses to acknowledge its crimes. The MRP believes that true justice can only be achieved through self-determination.
The world has recognized this right for other persecuted peoples—now, it is time for Mthwakazi to be recognized as a sovereign nation. The struggle continues, and with unity, advocacy, and international support, Mthwakazi will rise again.
