HARARE – MDC leader Nelson Chamisa and the party’s deputy chairman Tendai Biti have been invited to come and “share their views” by a Commission of Inquiry probing the August 1 post-election violence in central Harare in which six people died after soldiers opened fire on opposition protesters.
In letters to the two MDC leaders dated November 14, the former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, who is chairing the inquiry, said the two men had been “mentioned as among those who played a part in inciting the violence of August 1, 2018.”
“The Commission considers it fair and just that it should have the benefit of your comments and, accordingly, is inviting you to come at your convenience on November 21, 2018, to share your views before concluding its proceedings,” Motlanthe said.
Chamisa has previously described the commission as a “sham”, and it remains unclear if he will accept the invitation.
“We have said the Motlanthe commission has nothing to do with us,” Chamisa told supporters at the MDC’s 19th anniversary celebrations in Harare in October. “It is a waste of time; it is a sham. We know those who killed people, they were seen and are on pictures, go and investigate that. Now they (Zanu PF government) want to blame the opposition.”
Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander Phillip Valerio Sibanda and other Zanu PF-leaning witnesses who have come before the commission claimed Chamisa incited supporters to reject election results if they did not favour them.
Biti is also alleged to have addressed opposition marchers on August 1, before instructing them to tear down campaign billboards of Zanu PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The MDC denies that it was in control of the youths who marched in Harare demanding the prompt release of presidential election results.
Police say the protesters became violent, prompting them to request the deployment of the military. Soldiers opened fire on the marches, killing at least six and wounding dozens others.
