Zim military confronts Mugabe
IN AN unprecedented confrontation which has plunged Zimbabwe into further turmoil, the country’s influential military commanders yesterday warned President Robert Mugabe to stop persecuting stalwarts of the 1970s liberation war and ensure that democracy is restored in the governing Zanu-PF.
General Constantino Chiwenga, the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, comprising the army and the air force, demanded an immediate end to purges in Zanu-PF which saw the dramatic ousting of Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 75, and his expulsion from the party last week.
Mnangagwa, who is widely acknowledged as Mugabe’s most loyal lieutenant for more than 40 years, has enjoyed the backing of the armed forces and was once considered Mugabe’s heir apparent. He fled into exile in South Africa last week, narrowly escaping arrest as Mugabe tightened the noose on a man who has been the veteran leader’s ruthless enforcer for almost four decades.
The ruling Zanu-PF is sharply divided into two warring factions. One camp, Team Lacoste, has been led by Mnangagwa, whose nickname is “The Crocodile”, hence the name of the group.
The other faction, Generation 40, has coalesced around Mugabe’s increasingly ambitious wife Grace, 52, who is not a struggle veteran. Her faction is dominated by young politicians distrusted by the military and war veterans.
Grace, now widely seen as the favourite to succeed Mugabe, referred to Mnangagwa as a snake which “must be hit on the head”. Hours later, Mnangagwa fled across Zimbabwe’s mountainous border with Mozambique, eventually travelling to South Africa.
Three years ago, another struggle stalwart and vicepresident, Joice Mujuru, was expelled from Zanu-PF, although the military did not express support for her at the time.
In a statement that highlights Zimbabwe’s volatile politics and could mark a dangerous drift towards the brink of strife, General Chiwenga said the security services would stop those “bent on hijacking the revolution”.
The stance of the military effectively pits President Mugabe, 93, and Grace, on the one hand, against armed forces and veterans of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle on the other.
Grace is expected to be elevated to vice-president at Zanu- PF’s extraordinary congress next month, replacing Mnangagwa in a controversial plan that has angered some commanders and members of the governing party. The military chiefs are now demanding “democratic” elections at next month’s party congress.
Chiwenga, 61, who is also a struggle veteran, was on an official visit to China last week when Mnangagwa was forced out of office. There has been speculation that on his return the military chief is likely to condemn Mnangagwa’s toppling.
Addressing a press conference yesterday at King George VI military headquarters in the capital Harare, Chiwenga did not mince his words in denouncing the Zanu-PF purges and what he termed the “hijacking of the former liberation movement” by infiltrators bent on destroying the party from within.
“It is with humility and a heavy heart that we come before you to pronounce the indisputable reality that there is instability in Zanu-PF today and as a result anxiety in the country at large,” he said.
“The current purging, clearly targeting members of the party with liberation backgrounds, must stop forthwith. We remain committed to protecting our legacy, and those bent on hijacking the revolution will not be allowed to.”
Chiwenga said the persecution of former liberation war fighters had become a major cause for concern.
“We must remind those behind the current treacherous shenanigans that when it comes to matters of protecting our revolution, the military will not hesitate to step in.”