The commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), General Philip Valerio Sibanda, has blamed opposition political parties for the ugly scenes of violence witnessed in Harare just after the July 30 harmonised elections.

At least six people have since died from the violence after soldiers deployed to quell the disturbances used live ammunition in a bid to drive protesters out of central Harare.

This was after angry MDC Alliance supporters had besieged the streets of Harare to vent out their frustrations over what they perceived as bias on the part of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, accused of favouring Zanu PF.

While critics point accusing fingers at the military, the top dog at ZDF has passed the buck to the opposition parties, saying they incited the violence.

“Zimbabwe remains secure despite the recent politically-motivated violence that erupted a day after the harmonised elections on 30 July, 2018,” said Sibanda in his Defence Forces’ Day message.

“That notwithstanding, the country has continued to enjoy peace, security and stability during the harmonised elections.

“Had it not been for evil intentions of some opposition political players who went on to incite violent protests, unnecessary loss of life of six people who were caught up in the unfortunate shooting incidents could have been avoided.

“All the same, the ZDF remains resolute in its support for the ZRP as they continue to fulfil their constitutional mandate of maintenance of law and order to ensure peace, security and stability in the country.

“People are therefore, assured that they should feel free to go about their usual business.”

In spite of Sibanda’s spirited defence of the uniformed forces, the international community and even the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) have blamed the ZDF for its heavy-handedness in dealing with civilians.

Daily News