Chengetai Zvauya
HARARE – PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has called for an independent probe to ascertain what caused the violent protests which rocked the capital yesterday and claimed three lives.
In a statement on Twitter, Mnangagwa said the country must move beyond yesterday’s tragic events saying he had been in communication with MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa to diffuse the political tension following the end of the harmonised elections.
“I am therefore calling for an independent investigation into what occurred in Harare yesterday,” Mnangagwa said.
“We believe in transparency and accountability, and those responsible should be identified and brought to justice. We have been in communication with Nelson Chamisa to discuss how to immediately diffuse the situation, and we must maintain this dialogue in order to protect the peace we hold dear.”
He also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims who died in the violence and wished a speedy recovery to the injured people in the skirmishes.
Many retail outlets were today closed in the capital as many people feared for their safety while some companies asked their employees to return home.
MDC Alliance supporters went on a rampage yesterday against the delays by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in announcing the results of Monday’s harmonised elections
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Observer Group has condemned the political violence and use of excessive force by the authorities which has resulted in the deaths of three people in the capital on Wednesday.
“The Commonwealth Observer Group expresses profound sadness at the outbreak of violence by supporters of the opposition and the excessive use of force by the security services in the last 24 hours,” said John Dramani Mahama, chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group,
Mahama is the former president of Ghana.
“Tragically, this resulted in a number of fatalities and injuries,” he said.
“We categorically denounce the excessive use of force against unarmed civilians and wish to urge all parties to exercise restraint.”
Mahama said all political parties, together with their supporters should remain calm as they wait for the elections results.
“The electoral process is yet to be concluded. The greatest test of leadership is called for now. All parties must exercise patience and restrain while we wait the announcement of full results,” he said imploring the ZEC to expedite the announcement of all results without further delay.
“We urge the ZEC to expedite the announcement of all election results without further delay. Political leaders should be magnanimous in victory and gracious in defeat,” Mahama said.
Under Zimbabwean laws, the authorities must announce the presidential outcome within five days after polling day.
ZEC has also condemned the political violence urging the nation to be patient as the elections management body was in the process of verifying the presidential results and will release them when they are ready.
“We know that the nation and the international community are anxiously waiting for the results and we shall release them as soon as we have finished the verification process,” said ZEC Commissioner Qubani Moyo.
