By Paul Nyathi|In spite of army commander General Valerio Sibanda’s spirited defence of the uniformed forces after six people were killed inn Harare two weeks ago, the international community and even the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) have blamed the ZDF for its heavy-handedness in dealing with civilians.

In a damning report issued last week, ZHRC chairperson Elasto Mugwadi said the use of live ammunition and excessive use of force on civilians was uncalled for.

Mugwadi said while the commission does not in any way support violence, hooliganism or vandalism by any protester, constitutionally there were better ways of managing protests without infringing on the rights of citizens, especially the right to life which must be jealously guarded by all State institutions and at all times.

“ZHRC urges that the army only be deployed where necessary for law and order and in strict compliance with the relevant legal provisions and internationally accepted standards, including restrictions on the use of live ammunition against protesters.

“To us it is very much criminal. It is a criminal act to kill someone,” said Mugwadi.

“While there are investigations, there was a violation of peoples’ rights — the right to life.

“That is the fundamental right, the right of all rights. We will on our own part investigate and try to find out why this happened the way it did,” he added.

President-elect Emmerson Mnangagwa has since made an undertaking to establish an independent commission to get to the bottom of the matter.

The pre-voting period had been characterised by peaceful campaigns and a camaraderie spirit.

But this was immediately sullied by the deadly clashes between opposition supporters and security agents.