Chronicle Editor
President Emmerson Mnangagwa showed that he is a man of his words when, on Wednesday, he announced the names of eminent persons who will investigate the circumstances leading to the violence that occurred on August 1 in Harare.
MDC Alliance supporters, bitter that their party was losing the July 30 elections, stormed the streets of the capital, blocking traffic, throwing missiles, looting shops and burning vehicles. The mayhem occurred only two days after the elections when many police officers stationed in Harare were still at various polling centres countrywide providing security. Because of this, the force was a little under-strength to be able to contain the marauding mob.
There was a genuine risk that the protestors were going to cause greater damage so police commanders had no choice but request for support from the military.
Soldiers were immediately deployed and quelled the riot. Sadly, six people died in the melee.
Former South Africa President, Kgalema Motlanthe is chairing the commission of inquiry whose other members are former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku from Nigeria, former Chief of Defence of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces General (Retired) Davis Mwamunyange and Mr Rodney Dixon from the United Kingdom. Locals who are on the panel are University of Zimbabwe lecturers Professors Charity Manyeruke and Lovemore Madhuku and former president of the Law Society of Zimbabwe Mrs Vimbai Nyemba.
The commission’s terms of reference are to inquire into the circumstances leading to the violence, to identify actors and their leaders, motive and strategies employed, among other pertinent issues.
Other terms of reference include, “to inquire into the intervention by the Zimbabwe Republic Police in the maintenance of law and order, to investigate the circumstances which necessitated the involvement of the military in assisting in the maintenance of law and order, to consider whether the degree of force used was appropriate to the ensuing threat to public safety, law and order, to ascertain extent of damage/injury caused thereof.”
Also, they will be required to “investigate any other matters which the Commission of Inquiry may deem appropriate and relevant to the inquiry, to make suitable recommendations and to report to the President in writing, the result of the inquiry within a period of three months from the date of swearing in of the Commission.”
The seven figures have the right qualities to be on that commission. Collectively and individually their level of understanding of a wide range of issues — politics, law, and security and so on — is world class. They are men and women of integrity who could easily have performed the same functions satisfactorily anywhere in the world.
The Zimbabweans in the team understand the political terrain and the legal framework very closely thus will give the required local insight and background to the investigation. The foreigners are men of high standing at the global stage. Whatever recommendations they are going to make after the prescribed three months of investigations, would be worth acting upon by everyone involved in the violence.
The August 1 violence and the June 23 bomb attack that injured 49 people at White City Stadium in Bulawayo resulting in two deaths are the two biggest blemishes on the 2018 election season. Barring the stadium tragedy that occurred nine days after the sitting of the nomination court, the pre-election period was characterised by peace.
All contesting parties were free to sell their manifestos all over the country without hindrance. Mr Nelson Chamisa and his opposition colleagues were able to campaign in rural areas which were no-go areas for them in previous elections.
We deeply regret the violence and the deaths that are the subject of the Motlanthe inquiry, but take some comfort in the fact that the occurrences did not affect the integrity of the election that President Mnangagwa and his party Zanu-PF won.
Without prejudging the outcome of the inquiry, it is an open secret that the rioters were incited, and possibly actively organised, by MDC Alliance leaders, Messrs Chamisa and Tendai Biti who, in the run-up to the elections, publicly stated many times that they would not accept any result that was not their victory.
If they lost, they declared, they were going to make the country ungovernable. Hours after polling, the coalition started circulating papers on social media claiming that they were winning. Mr Chamisa actually posted on twitter that returns from more than 10 000 polling stations showed that he was winning the presidency while his parliamentary and council candidates were also winning.
So when the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) started releasing official results later on, the opposition supporters who believed that the unofficial MDC Alliance results were correct, thought that the Zec figures, showing their party losing, had been manipulated. They told themselves that it made sense for them to go on the streets to “defend” their vote as Messrs Chamisa and Biti had told them.
On this basis therefore, we expect the duo to be called to answer tough questions on their role in priming their supporters for the revolt. We demand that they make themselves available for interviewing.
On another note and as we mentioned at the outset, the President, by appointing the commission, has underscored the fact that he is a man of action. He has demonstrated that over the past eight months or so. Speaking shortly after the violence had occurred; he pledged an independent investigation into it. This is a welcome departure from the old brand of governance which promised so much but delivered nothing. The people of Zimbabwe can trust him to deliver on many other fronts.
Online Reporter