The United Nations on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination says it is disturbed by reports that the Gukurahundi atrocities, which resulted in the killing of around 20,000 Ndebele speakers in the 1980s, continue to be a source of ethnic tension, with many victims remaining traumatized and barred from participating in mourning and commemorative activities by state agents.
In a statement, the Committee urged Zimbabwe to take measures to ensure that mourning and commemorative activities can be conducted without restrictions or threats.
It also called on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to ensure that the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission fulfils its responsibilities to provide a platform for post-conflict public truth-telling.
The Committee also expressed concern that legislation to protect labour rights and prevent discrimination does not explicitly cover the informal sector and domestic work, which are dominated by black women who face low wages, poor working conditions and racist, dehumanizing treatment.
It requested that Zimbabwe amend its labour laws to explicitly cover the informal sector and domestic work, and take measures to address discrimination on the intersecting grounds of race, class and gender in all areas of employment.