Source: Violence commission of inquiry doomed – DailyNews Live
Blessings Mashaya 16 August 2018
HARARE – By rushing to blame the main opposition party over the mayhem
that rocked Harare just after harmonised elections, President Emmerson
Mnangagwa could have compromised his mooted commission of inquiry to probe
the disturbances.
The commission is set to investigate what led the army to kill at least
six people during demonstrations by supporters of the MDC Alliance against
the perceived bias of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
While Mnangagwa has promised to establish the commission, he – along with
the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), General Philip Valerio
Sibanda, have blamed the opposition parties for inciting the violence.
“I am, however, deeply concerned with the incidents of violence that
rocked the streets of Harare at the instigation of some members of the MDC
Alliance leadership, which subsequently resulted in the regrettable loss
of lives, injury to persons and damage to property,” Mnangagwa said during
the Defence Forces Day commemorations on Monday.
Analysts believe that Mnangagwa’s sentiments as well as those of the ZDF’s
top dog have left the mooted commission compromised.
Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme told the Daily News yesterday that the
sentiments were instructive in the sense that they further buttress muted
public concerns to the effect that Mnangagwa’s reign was a mere extension
of former president Robert Mugabe’s brutal power-retention tactics.
“Mnangagwa learnt nothing and forgot nothing from Mugabe’s 37 years of
intolerance, unaccountable and brutal governance,” he said.
Saungweme said the contradictions between Mnangagwa saying he will set up
a commission of inquiry to find out what happened and him pronouncing that
the MDC Alliance was guilty in the same speech, on the same day, shows
that Zimbabwe has a huge leadership problem.
“Such contradictions do not inspire anyone. Such utterances present him as
leader whom the killing of six unarmed civilians does not mean much to
him. His is just doing tomfoolery with the unfortunate death of six
Zimbabwean citizens at the hands of armed men in his command. It’s crass.
It’s regrettable,” he said.
Saungweme therefore believes that the commission has been set up for
failure.
“The commission is doomed,” he said. “The fate of the commission will be
the same with that of many other commissions set up under Mugabe”.
Piers Pigou, a senior consultant at the International Crisis Group, said
Mnangagwa was prejudging the case before investigations.
“He is sending mixed messages by prejudging the outcome and is undermining
his own credibility.
“The commission is somewhat compromised from the word go. This is not
helped by the reported utterances of ZDF commander, general Sibanda who
also blames the opposition, but who apparently didn’t know who deployed
his own troops.”
Another political analyst Gladys Hlatywayo said Mnangagwa risked not being
taken seriously because of his pronouncements.
“Mnangagwa is a big joke. His lack of coherence is legendary. How do you
say you want to appoint a commission and yet even before the commission is
appointed, you have found the opposition guilty? In any case Emmerson
Mnangagwa needs not to appoint a commission but rather to implement the
Constitution.
“In particular, Section 210 directs government to set up a permanent
Independent Complaints Mechanism where members of the public can report
abuses from security forces. Zimbabwe’s history is littered with useless
Commissions whose reports were never seen. The Commission is certainly
doomed,” she said.
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