Gukurahundi: The Arms Caches 'Crisis', 1982

Episode 3 examines the arms caches ‘crisis’ of 1982—the ‘discovery’ of massive reserves of weapons that belonged to Zipra, the former military wing of Robert Mugabe’s rival, Joshua Nkomo. Zanu-PF declared it had nipped a coup plot in the bud, and terminated the unity government with Nkomo that had been formed at independence. Repressive measures against Nkomo’s party and former members of Zipra intensified alongside an increasingly shrill official narrative, which portrayed Zanu’s opponents as an imminent and escalating threat to national security. Yet events behind the scenes show clearly that the arms caches crisis was staged by Mugabe because Nkomo had refused demands for Zapu to be absorbed into Zanu-PF. Like most of the turning points that formed the backdrop to the Gukurahundi, the arms caches affair was driven by politics and hatred, not the treacherous activities of a nefarious rival.