Sunday, August 28, 2016

West, MDC-T, ZimPF Strategies Exposed
August 29, 2016
Felex Share Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald

Western countries bankrolling MDC-T and Zimbabwe People First have undermined Zimbabwe’s national institutions through patronage and dirty money in a bid to destroy the constitutional order and force early elections, The Herald can reveal.

This, according to security and Government sources, was part of a multi-pronged approach by opposition forces to unconstitutionally overthrow the Government.

Sources said the manoeuvres, which were a throwback to 2007, would come to naught as Government was aware of the shenanigans.

Among the now bare strategies is a bid by the detractors to internationalise “child-play” demonstrations, calling for foreign intervention.

“Government is alert to the opposition elements’ strategy where they are looking at four scenarios,” a high-placed security official said yesterday.

“They want to precipitate the fall of constitutional order through civil unrest. That is why in our security structures, we emphasise the need to defend constitutional order.

“Secondly, they want to precipitate foreign intervention, hence the call on Sadc, the African Union and even the United Nations to intervene.

“There is a bid to internationalise demonstrations, which are a child-play relative to what we saw in other countries. The aim is to try and overstate the significance of these demonstrations, which involve only a few hundreds of persons.”

The securocrat said opposition elements were anticipating another Government of National Unity, being touted in the private media as the National Transitional Authority.

“Even though there is no consensus yet around that, it is a fallback position which the opposition is pushing for,” said the officer.

“Their fourth scenario is to bring forward elections, which are lawfully due in 2018. It is not only the last scenario but the least favourable to them because they are aware that outside of momentary street power, Zanu-PF holds sway in the country. Also put in mind that the issue of elections precipitates divisions within the opposition. It puts to severe test this façade of unity of opposition parties. A presidential candidate has to be found, Members of Parliament have to be found and distributed amongst the 18 parties. It’s the least attractive because it divides them. It exposes the falsity of the so-called present unity.”

In a bid to cause anarchy, opposition parties under the banner of the National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA) unleashed an orgy of violence in Harare last week.

They looted shops, burnt cars and properties, stoned vehicles and attacked innocent people.

Police thwarted the violent demonstrations and arrested goons behind the chaos.

Another security source said they had noted the statements coming from foreign embassies accredited to Zimbabwe principally, the United States and Canada.

“If you look at the American statement-not only does it condemn the sitting Government by way of its policies, it confers impunity to the opposition and its demonstrators,” said the source.

“Essentially, it says we are with you and to a lesser degree the Canadian statement says the same.”

On Friday, the United States embassy, Canada and Australia issued separate statements supporting the protests and condemning law enforcement agents for maintaining peace and order.

Added the security source: “We also take note of statements by youths such as MDC-T’s Happymore Chidziva that the ballot box is not the only way of removing a sitting Government. The youths don’t wish to govern. They are articulating the minds of those that aspire to govern. And what that means is, we are getting the general disposition of the opposition.”

The security source said to achieve their nefarious plot, the opposition elements had infiltrated national institutions.

“We are also aware that after the stunning 2013 results, there was a systematic undermining of national institutions through patronage,” said the source.

“The year 2013 gave us a new Constitution from which emerged a number of institutions. That Constitution’s efficacy as a governing tool is only tested through events such as we have witnessed recently. Equally, the commitment of institutions created by that Constitution to protecting the sovereignty and interests of the people can only be tested through decisions and positions taken by those institutions. We are aware that in spite of their disavowal of the Constitution, the Westerners now regard it as their constitution.”

A Government official said just like in 2007, Zimbabwe owed “a lot to Providence” as all these shenanigans were happening “a good two years before elections”.

“This allows us to know forces at work,” said the official.

“At home, we are very lucky. In warfare, there is no better day for a fighter than to find all your enemies in one basket. This is exactly what has happened through NERA. All told, we have two good years to sort out this mess. We have also seen the so-called elders of Zimbabwe the Graca Machels, Desmond Tutus, Kofi Annans Richard Bransons, Jimmy Carters all joining. Equally, we have seen the United Nations once again being abused. It is a throwback to the 2007 era and nothing has been subtracted or added. It is exactly the same forces.”

Acting under the aegis of what they call the “Elders”, Mr Annan, the former United Nations secretary-general; Archbishop Tutu of South Africa and Graca, the former wife of Nelson Mandela last week wrote to the regional body, Sadc, ahead of the forthcoming 36th Summit of Sadc Heads of State and Government, calling “heads of state to support a successful and inclusive transition in Zimbabwe”

This is not the first time that the so-called Elders have tried to wade into the domestic fray as in 2008 they made a spirited attempt to influence matters as Zimbabwe emerged from the hung elections of that year.

Asked for a comment, Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba, who is also Secretary for Information, Media and Broadcasting Services said the plots and sub-plots by the opposition parties and their proxies in the civil society would never see the light of the day.

“In the case of Joice Mujuru, she might as well kiss goodbye to any political personality outside the MDC-T,” he said.

“By submitting to NERA, itself an idea conceived exclusively by MDC-T, Joice has accepted to be MDC-T’s subaltern. For Zanu-PF this is a bonanza. It no longer needs to prove to the voter that it is Mujuru not Zanu-PF that has turned the coat.”

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