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Commission begins probing Zimbabwe poll killings

Tuesday October 16 2018
Mnangagwa

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa. FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By KITSEPILE NYATHI

A commission investigating Zimbabwe’s post-election killings by the army started public hearings on Tuesday amid claims by civil society that the government was plotting a cover-up.

State security agents initially barred journalists from the privately-owned media from covering the inquiry led by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe.

The commission, whose members are drawn from Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Britain and South Africa, is investigating the killing of six people after soldiers opened fire on protestors on August 1.

The initial public hearing in Harare was delayed by over three hours after police tried to bar journalists from attending.

The regime

“It took intense lobbying for journalists to be finally allowed access into the conference room where the inquiry was being held.

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“This was after only journalists from the state media, had been allowed access,” the Crisis Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC), a consortium of civil society organisations, said in a statement.

“The move further exposes the insincerity of the regime in as far as investigating the August 1 shootings and bringing the matter to a logical conclusion is concerned.”

President Emerson Mnangagwa, who took over from Robert Mugabe in November last year following a military coup, said he wants the inquiry to provide evidence of what led to the killings.

However, critics argue the commission was set up to pacify the international community and not to expose the truth.

The murder

CiZC said local members of the commission were largely loyalists of the ruling party and some “had questionable credentials”.

“There is an apparent calculated move meant to absolve the state of wrong doing through this compromised Commission of Inquiry,” the groups said.

“CiZC maintains that just like in the past years, the blame for the murder of civilians on August 1 lies squarely with the government."

The victims were shot as they protested alleged delays in the release of the July 30 presidential election results.

President Mnangagwa went on to post narrow victory against youthful opposition leader Nelson Chamisa.

Mr Chamisa rejected the results, saying the election was rigged in favour of the incumbent.

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