Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa demands UK reparations and apology for colonial violence

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Harare, Zimbabwe – November 2, 2024 – Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has called on the United Kingdom to issue an apology and pay reparations for the country’s colonial-era policies, which he described as “brutal and systematic.” Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Zimbabwe National Elders Forum (ZNEF) meeting in Harare, Mnangagwa emphasized the need for acknowledgment and reparations for the suffering endured by indigenous Zimbabweans under British colonial rule from 1890 to 1980.

During the event, titled “Land Displacements: The Untold Stories of Crimes, Injustices, Trauma, and Losses Experienced by Indigenous Zimbabweans During the Colonial Era (1890-1980): A Case for Reparations,” Mnangagwa argued that former colonial powers like the UK should recognize the suffering they caused. “We ask, when are the rest of us in the former colonies going to receive similar apologies from these people, the colonizers, the British?” he stated. He highlighted that the scars of colonial violence remain, with many Zimbabwean elders still bearing the trauma of the past.

Mnangagwa referenced previous apologies issued by the UK to Kenya’s Mau Mau and by Germany to Namibia’s Mbanderu, Herero, and Nama communities, urging the UK to extend similar recognition to Zimbabwe. He announced that the ZNEF is currently investigating British colonial crimes, a step he described as necessary for achieving justice for Zimbabwe.

The forum marks Zimbabwe’s latest push to seek reparative justice and a formal apology, sparking renewed discussions on the legacy of colonial rule in Southern Africa.