CHAPTER 6 6.0. KEY FINDINGS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF REFERENCE The Commission considered evidence from various witnesses across the political divide and the generality of the populace. The testimonies received often fell into two categories: some testified that they never witnessed any riotous behaviour and damage to property; on the other hand, others testified that they never saw the shootings but only saw the Army driving people out of town and rescuing the situation. One limitation that faced the Commission was that Police investigations relating to the events were still underway. Had the results of the investigations been available to the Commission, this would have enhanced the work of the Commission. However, the Commission received substantial evidence which was sufficient for them to make the findings set out below. The following are the key findings based on the full observations contained in this report as a whole. 6.1. The circumstances leading to the 1st of August 2018 post-election violence and the actors a. The environment preceding the 30th of July 2018 national elections was generally peaceful, with all political parties conducting their campaigns freely. b. The public media leaned more in favour of the ruling ZANU PF whilst independent media was heavily tilted in favour of the MDC Alliance. 42 42