August 1 army killings scars still
On August 1, 2018, the late Garvin Dean Charles left home to attend to some business in Harare’s central business district (CBD). His sister, Allison Charles, having heard that there were riots in the capital over delays in announcing presidential election results, warned him to exercise caution.
Scores of civilians who suspected electoral fraud went into Harare’s CBD to protest against the alleged mishandling of the elections by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).
Armed soldiers were deployed into the CBD to put down the protests, and as a result of the indiscriminate shooting by the military, six unarmed civilians lost their lives.
Charles was among the six. He left behind a daughter who is in high school.
“He was my brother and he was three years younger than me and by the time of his death, he was staying with me,” Allison said.
“I was at work when I heard there was trouble in town so I called him and warned him against going into town since there were riots there, but he assured me that he would be okay.
“When I heard that there were shootings I called him and his phone was ringing, but nobody was picking it up and I got worried that something bad could have happened to him.”
She added: “We were told to go home for safety reasons (following the shootings).
“When I got home, messages started coming through on WhatsApp
and I saw his picture among those who had been killed and that is how I found out that he was dead.”
On May 11, 2023, Charles would have turned 51, and his family members marked his birthday with grief and sadness.
What pains the family is the lack of will by government to compensate for his death and allow for healing and closure.
“The government has done and said absolutely nothing to us; not even an apology for taking the life of our beloved brother, son and father,” Allison said.
“How can we move on from the pain when they took a life that can never be replaced; the kindest human being I knew?
“We will continue praying for our healing in the hope that someday, it will get better but the government should at least compensate the families of the six people that perished that day.”
In 2018, Allison filed a High Court application seeking compensation, but it was thrown out.
The widow of the late Ishmael Kumire who was a vendor and was shot dead on August 1, 2018 recounts the fateful day with sorrow and sadness.
Like Allison, she continues to cry out for justice, healing and closure.
“Up to now I am still in shock and sometimes I think that one day he will come back home,” Mrs Kumire said.
“I cannot live with this harsh reality that he is gone and I have to cater for the family on my own.
“I always pray that one day, I will be able to heal from this horrendous experience.”