Motlanthe; Charamba clash on 1 August killings report

Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba has issued a contradictory statement to that of August 1 killings Commission chairperson Kgalema Motlanthe regarding the publicity of the commission report.

"There is nothing at law that compels the President to release the report to the public or not to release it to the public," said Mr Charamba. "The discretion is his. Where he has a bit of a limit is in respect of how the Commission conducts its hearings in terms of the law."

But on Friday Motlanthe appeared live on ZTV in an interview with Rueben Barwe and said the commission of Inquiry into the 1 August violence will set up a website where it will post all the material submitted to it for the public to access for themselves.

The former South African President said he was happy with the way the hearings had been conducted because even those who had given evidence under protest had ended opening up.

The Commission has since submitted an Executive summary to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

With Mr Motlanthe on the Commission are international law expert Mr Rodney Dixon (UK), former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku (Nigeria), former Tanzania People's Defence Forces Commander General (Retired) Davis Mwamunyange, University of Zimbabwe lecturers professors Lovemore Madhuku and Charity Manyeruke, and former Law Society of Zimbabwe president Mrs Vimbai Nyemba.