Mnangagwa promotes August 1 massacre commander

In the week that President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised he would release a commission of inquiry report into the August 1 street killing of six civilians by the military, the commander of the unit that carried out the massacre in Harare has been promoted.

It was announced on Monday that Mnangagwa had promoted Brigadier General Anselem Sanyatwe, the commander of the Presidential Guard, to the rank of Major General.

Also promoted is Brigadier General Thomas Moyo, the head of Military Intelligence, who has assumed the rank of Major General.

Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Phillip Valerio Sibanda conferred ranks to the newly-promoted Major Generals. The Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army, Lieutenant General Edzayi Chimonyo, witnessed the event.

"You need to do more than you did before because rank comes with responsibilities," General Sibanda told Moyo and Sanyatwe.

Sanyatwe commanded the National Reaction Force deployed on the streets of Harare on August 1 to quell an opposition protest against delays in releasing results of the Presidential Elections held on July 30.

Journalists filmed as soldiers opened fire on protesters, killing at least six civilians and wounding dozens more.

Sanyatwe testified before the commission that was led by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, denying that his men were responsible for the killings.

Mnangagwa was presented with the commission's report last week and pledged to make it public this week.