JOHANNESBURG – NGOs on Thursday accused President Jacob Zuma’s office of covering up the existence of a damning report by retired generals about the role of the military in post-election violence in Zimbabwe last year.
Zuma’s office has rejected requests to release the document, saying it did not exist as the generals commissioned by former president Thabo Mbeki to investigate abuses never reported to him in writing.
Piers Pigou, the director of the SA History Archives (SAHA), said he believed the presidency was lying.
“It makes no sense that these people would provide Mbeki with only oral testimony. We think the presidency is setting itself up to be questioned. It is very sad.”
Pigou said though violence and fear levels in Zimbabwe had since decreased, light should be shed on last year’s rein of terror to prompt a transformation of the military and prevent future abuses.
Human rights groups accused President Robert Mugabe of unleashing a systematic campaign of violence on opposition supporters after his Zanu-PF lost control of Parliament to the Movement for Democratic Change in elections in March 2008.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai claimed at least 100 of his supporters were killed.
Mbeki, the Southern African Development Community’s mediator in Zimbabwe, in May last year tasked six retired generals to assess the extent of the army’s involvement in the political crisis.
The generals conducted fact-finding missions in May and June but Mbeki never released their findings. Neither did his successor, Kgalema Motlanthe.
The SAHA, the Southern Africa Litigation Centre and the SA Centre for Survivors of Torture as well as the Democratic Alliance have invoked the Promotion of Access to Information Act to force Zuma to release the document.
But Pigou said Frank Chikane, the director general in the presidency under Mbeki, and Trevor Fowler, who currently holds the post, produced affidavits saying no report or supporting documentation exits and the generals reported only orally to Mbeki.
The NGOs insist however that the generals produced a report that painted a “devastating” picture of state-sponsored violence that shifted Mbeki’s perceptions on the situation in Zimbabwe.
“The report is believed to have been hard-hitting and instrumental in the evolution of subsequent negotiations leading to the September Global Political Agreement” on power-sharing between Zanu-PF and the MDC, they said in a statement.
The DA’s parliamentary leader Athol Trollip said on Thursday he has had no formal reply to his application but would find it “very difficult to believe and even unacceptable” that the generals had not produced a written report.
Trollip said he had been told by a human rights activist interviewed by the generals that they handed Mbeki a thorough and “hard-hitting” report on state-sponsored violence.
The NGOs said Zuma should send the generals back to probe reports of continued intimidation and harassment by Zimbabwean security and intelligence forces intended to undermine the country’s fragile unity government formed in February.
If the report is made public then people will expect Zuma to take action. Now thats where the catch is. We all know in this sub region noonbe takes action better than Matibili himself. So for Zuma the best is to pretend nothing happened otherwise he may get himself smacked unnecessarily.
Jesus Christ Abel…do they pay you at The Herald to constantly give your one sided opinions in this newspaper’s forums? I hope they are paying you overtime.
Are you two sided Shawn Giella? yet you want me to be. I have no apology to make for my affiliation. Anything that smells of interference from you milk skinned ones is not tolerated at all.
abel you are just an idiot with no respect what interference are you tallking about, your masters are crying for outside help coz they realize they live an global village, you can boast as much as you want but without outside interference Zimbabwe is a failed state. Shame on you with your wasted brains, you also need not be locked up at engutsheni hospital with charamba and mugabe.
Rhodesia was a first world country.zanu changed it to Zimbabwe and turned it into a third world country and failed state. Rhodesia was totally self sufficient and exported all its surplusses world wide.This is what zanu took over.They then changed it through all their corrupt ways to be totally dependent on foreign aid,Created the highest unemployment rate in the world.Created the highest inflation rate on record in the world even getting into the guiness book of world records for that achievment.Rhodesia had one of the strongest currencies even against the British pound.zanu changed that to the weakest currency in the world and eventualy to no currency. What an achievment. Rhodesia created the best education in the world leading to an influx of foreign children entering the country to recieve an education that was recognised worlwide.zanu changed that to a point where today there is no education and schools remain closed.Another great achievment.So long as these idiots run the country, this is where Zimbabwe will stay or get worse.it will always remain a third world country dependent on outside aid.What a bunch of losers.Well done you monkeys. What an incredible achievment after such a short time.You were given one of the most successful countries in the world and turned it into a begging basket case.This is the proof of how useless and stupid you zanu idiots are. Keep up the good work.
Now how come MR. EDITOR did not censor MOTHER OF ABEL…..???? The R**** and the Afrikaaners have effectively sized down our Black African population for centuries, INTENTIONALLY and UNAPOLOGETIC after the fact. Zvisinei hazvo I remember Rhodesia for PARCEL BOMBS, BIOLOGICAL WARFARE, THE MOST RUTHLESSLY DIABOLICAL FORM OF APARTHEID. Why did the Europeans have to send their inbred cousins over to Africa…??, why, why, why..?, oh Dear God why…??? Now look, … Havachadi kudzokera…!!! I am not a bad person by most people’s judgment, however, characters like Mother of Abel put me in the position where I am cheering the G-Bombers on when they bludgeon the R****, coz I know they will always regard Africans as Ape-like and Sub-Human..!! Morgan T, you sir could have had a landslide election victory, However, because of the unfinished business we still have with the R****, I will clench a fist and Starve to death , rather than open my palm and perform a Hand-Job.! You R**** better pray the old man lives longer , because without him, KARMA can be a female Dog..!!
Mr Editor I did not know your site considers the term ‘Rhodie ‘ derogatory… It is in fact the short term for Rhodesians I believe.