MDC sets record straight on why it is not participating in the Motlanthe Commission of inquiry

4) The events on the 1st of August 2018

The people of Zimbabwe were quite expectant of a new bright era of transformation, opportunities and prosperity. That hope which culminated in a record voter turnout invariably caused anxiety when it became clear that results were not going to be announced in time to possibly allow for manipulation.

The demonstrations that took place on the 1st of August were clearly neither organised nor sanctioned by the MDC. Ordinary citizens were protesting on their own volition, it was normal for them to have been singing or chanting the name of the people’s movement.

Ironically and for reasons best known to themselves, the Police were permanently stationed at our Headquarters throughout the elections.

What is quite telling is that the police present at MRT House on the day enjoyed a very cordial relationship with the anticipating MDC members gathered at their headquarters. Pictures and videos taken on the day cause an estimation of scores of people including excited and hopeful passersby.

Only after the killings by the armed forces when the town had been cleared was there a raid on the MDC Headquarters primarily targeted at disrupting and collapsing the Party’s internal voter tabulation system.

The killing of civilians and demonstrations on the day in question happened in the full view of everyone.

The demonstrations took place under the watch of the police without any need for the use of force. Of course the MDC associates itself with the victims and commiserates with those who lost their loved ones in this sad event.

5) The Vanguard

It is clear through the constitution that there is only one army in the country and one police service in the country. These are meant to serve everyone irrespective of party, gender, ethnicity, race or class.

The attempt to paint of a military wing within the MDC is a step towards the State responding militarily to the opposition.

A lot has been said about the MDC Vanguard and that it is responsible for the killing of innocent unarmed civilians on the 1st of August. These are blatant lies and part of a narrative to cover up the evil machinations of the regime.

History tells us that when the state wants to destroy the MDC and democracy activists, it creates stories and blames them for all kinds of ills before unleashing instruments of terror. The MDC Vanguard was a non-violent peaceful youth group that was disbanded in February 2018 following a party decision to that effect.

There is no relationship between the concept vanguard and violence and neither was there ever intention that the Vanguard should be involved in any violent activities.

We must state categorically that the MDC Vanguard was not an armed group. It had no capacity to procure any weapons and neither did it ever have any intentions of having any weapons. Any blame on the Vanguard for the violence that took place on the 1st of August is once again part of this shameless cover up. The Vanguard no longer exists.

The Vanguard could not therefore have brought people into the CBD only to shoot and kill the same.

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