In January 1983, Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF quashed what it called dissidence by supporters of its political rival, the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU).
In an operation known by a Shona term Gukurahundi (the spring rain that washes away the chaff), the Zimbabwean military, in particular the Fifth Brigade, murdered up to 20,000 civilians in Matabeleland and Midlands.
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Actors play two red beret soldiers celebrating the burning of a young child they snatched from her mother on May 30, 2018, in Harare, in a scene from a play “1983 the Dark Years”, which portrays the life of a young girl affected by the Gukurahundi events in the 1980s. PHOTO JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP
The Catholic Commission on Justice and Peace reported widespread atrocities including as torture and extrajudicial executions.
The Habakkuk Trust has commissioned a series of videos to highlight the disproportionate impact of Gukurahundi on women in Matabeleland and Midlands.
This is the third in a series of three videos and focuses on the exhumations of the bodies of the victims.
Below is a fuller documentary on Gukurahundi.