Truth-Telling and Reconciliation Process: Lessons from National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Under the New Republic in Zimbabwe (2018-2024)

Abstract

Resolving historical conflicts and violent incidents is the constitutional and legal task of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC), founded in 2013. Concerning covering government’s past impunity on the one side, and attempting to promote peace, healing, and reconciliation on the other, the NPRC in Zimbabwe seems to be a patchwork endeavour. From a surface-level perspective, the aim of the NPRC appears to be about bringing out the desired results of healing and reconciliation without confronting the underlying causes that led to the violence and disagreements in the past by revealing the truth. The first phase in the reconciliation process, truth-telling is the cornerstone of all truth commissions. It provides a wide path for parties in disagreement to reconcile and engage in negotiations. Thus, the main objective of this study is to establish if the NPRC has been managing to fulfil its mandate of truth-telling and healing. Qualitative research methods were employed as they allowed the research to delve deep into issues surrounding the reconciliation process. Determining whether the NPRC has been able to carry out its mandate of healing and revealing the truth is, thus, the primary goal of the study. The use of qualitative research methods allows for a deeper exploration of the problems related to the reconciliation process.