SILVIA Maphosa, Brian Zhuwawo, Challenge Tauro, Gavin Charles Dean, Ishmail Kumire and Jealous Chakandira have something in common.
They are the six unarmed civilians gunned down on August 1, 2018, when soldiers moved in to quell demonstrations following a delay in the release of the Presidential Election results.
They became the first casualties of the second republic, which had ascended the throne on the promise that it is different from its predecessor.
A commission of inquiry, led by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, was assembled to investigate the killings that alarmed the world.
The commission got down to work, conducting hearings as it sifted through information, which came via public hearings and written submissions.
It produced a 128-page report comprising findings and recommendations.
Unlike previous commissions, such as the Chihambakwe Commission, whose findings have never been made public and are rotting somewhere in government offices, the Motlanthe Commission report is readily available.
The commission said the autopsy revealed that the sextet’s death was due to hypovolemic shock following gunshot injuries.
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The Motlanthe Commission recommended compensation for all victims of the violence and dependants of the deceased. Where the deceased had young children, they should be urgently assisted with school fees and their general welfare, it said.
It urged the government to put in place a special committee to assess and determine the quantum of damages and compensation to be awarded to victims on a case-by-case basis, and also set up a fund to assist those directly affected.
They have not been compensated, seven years later. The government has only compensated those who have obtained court orders.
The families of the six whose lives were cut short have been waiting for justice in accordance with the commission’s recommendations. We do not believe that they are waiting for Godot.
The Motlanthe Commission said the police needed to complete their investigations to “enable the prosecution of the persons responsible for all alleged crimes” on August 1, 2018.
The commission recommended that those particular members of the military and the police found to have been in breach of their professional duties and discipline on of August 1, 2018 should be “identified as soon as possible for internal investigations and appropriate sanction, which should include hearing from the victims and their families for impact assessment and to provide the necessary compensation”.
In its findings, the commission said given that property and lives were under threat at various locations, and in light of the inability of the police to disperse the protesters, the firing by the army and the police of warning shots in the air in pursuit of their stated mission which was to clear the central business district of violent protesters was proportionate.
It rapped the use of live ammunition directed at people, especially when they were fleeing, saying that was unjustified and disproportionate. The commission said the use of sjamboks, batons and rifle butts to assault members of the public indiscriminately was also disproportionate.
As long as those responsible for the death of the six civilians and injury to 35 others continue roaming the streets, the commission of inquiry will be viewed as a mere window dressing exercise meant to hoodwink the world.
It appears authorities believe the August 1, 2018, events will be forgotten as time passes. History has shown that a dark past cannot be wished away. Rather, it should serve as a lesson for the future and authorities should declare “Never again will this recur”.
