Seeking Reconciliation and National Healing in Zimbabwe: Case of the Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration (ONHRI)

This study explores the Organ on National Healing Reconciliation and Integration (ONHRI)’s role in promoting reconciliation and national healing in Zimbabwe. In this paper, I examine reconciliation efforts using ONHRI as the unit of my analysis. The ONHRI was established in 2008 in line with Article 7 of the Global Political Agreement (2008) signed between the ruling party Zimbabwe African National Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations to end a political stalemate that had resulted in numerous human rights violations. Although the ONHRI was created in response to the 2008 election violence and human rights violations thereof, its timeline stretches to include both pre and postindependent periods of violent conflicts in Zimbabwe. Whilst I am cognisant of the wide time range for ONHRI’s work, in this paper, I place much focus on Zimbabwe’s recent past (the period after 2008) as most efforts towards reconciliation (including CSOs’ work) are in response to 2008 violence. In this paper, I adopt an exploratory approach to ONHRI’s work considering that this institution is still evolving. I use concepts that include restorative justice, reconciliation, healing, truth telling and memorialisation to explore and analyse Zimbabwe’s model of reconciliation and national healing. International guidelines particularly, the Paris Principles further inform my analysis of the work of ONHRI as a national institution working to promote human rights in the aftermath of incidences of organised violence. Alternative visions of reconciliation are also presented in the paper drawing key points from literature, perceptions from civil society and a few lessons from the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.