HARARE - President Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to make public the report by the former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe-led commission of inquiry into the 1 August fatal shootings of civilians in Harare.
Six people were killed in the deadly shootings, while a seventh person died in a stampede, shortly after the landmark elections in Zimbabwe.
Addressing heads of foreign missions in the country at a realignment workshop in Darwendale on Monday, Mnangagwa said: “The hearings were done in public, so the report will be shared with the public.”
The Zimbabwean leader contradicted his spokesperson, George Charamba, who last week claimed the report was only meant for his (Mnangagwa's) eyes only.
Following a public outcry, Charamba made a volte-face.
Mnangagwa, whom the Constitutional Court declared winner of the 30 July poll after opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa challenged the outcome, appointed a seven-member commission of inquiry chaired by Motlanthe to look into what led to the killings by the military.
The other members were Rodney Dixon from the United Kingdom, former Commonwealth secretary-general, Nigeria’s Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Chief of Tanzania's Defence Forces General Davis Mwamunyange, University of Zimbabwe lecturers Charity Manyeruke and Lovemore Madhuku, as well as former Law Society of Zimbabwe president Vimbai Nyemba.
Madhuku told a conference to commemorate the International Human Rights Day on Monday that the law allowed for Mnangagwa to first study the report before publicising it.
“There is, in the law, room to be given to the President to read the report and thereafter, to make it public,” he said.
“There is no law which says the President should make the report public immediately after being given.
“The procedure at law is that he receives the report, he studies it, and then makes it public. As far as we are concerned, the report will be made public.”