Correspondent|THE Commission of Inquiry into the post-election violence of 1 August handed over an executive summary of its report to President Emmerson Mnangagwa Friday afternoon, with the full report expected today. But many are questioning why the Commission had to wind up its work so abruptly when there are still some days left, and why these timelines were never communicated to the public.

Some had expressed hope that President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga should have been summoned to appear before the Commission as they were implicated in the deployment of the soldiers on 1 August.

Piers Pigou, the Director at the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, said: “Why is the Commission not utilising its full mandate period? Especially when it has turned witnesses away. Why did the Commission not make public its timelines?”

Former ZANU-PF Politburo member Professor Jonathan Moyo threw the cat among the pigeons when he said he had been told authoritatively that 95% of what MDC leader Nelson Chamisa and vice chairman Tendai Biti said before the Commission won’t be in the report as Commissioners took it as mere grandstanding.

“After report was presented to Mnangagwa, a ZanuPF-linked Commissioner said they took only 5% of testimony from Tendai Biti and Nelson Chamisa and spurned the rest as grandstanding.

“Worse, they regret 1 August killings yet condone illegal army deployment ‘as worse could have occurred’!” said Moyo.

Human rights lawyer Doug Coltart also queried why the Commission wound up its work two weeks ahead of time yet they declined to hear evidence from all witnesses who wanted to testify.

Coltart cited the case of former army colonel Elliot Piki whose testimony the Commission declined to hear after he resurfaced following days of a mysterious “kidnapping” storm.

“They never heard evidence of 15 eye-witnesses who were blocked from giving testimony; or from Colonel Piki who was abducted before his hearing; or from the person responsible for deployment,” Coltart said.

Farai Mawire, a South African based Zimbabwean political commentator, said the Commission of Inquiry did well under the circumstances because there was nothing meaningful being presented except two sides using the hearings as a battleground to fight their battles.

“The commisioners are not the problem but there was nothing to extract as evidence from the testimonies presented by those called to testify…

“Why waste days or weeks going through that rubbish of lies presented by both sides as oral evidence. Thus just proves why we are in such a mess as a country.”

Meanwhile, the Commission has not responded to the complaints and accusations.

The full report will be out today. President Mnangagwa assured that it will be made public.