Zimbabwe military police intervene to pay soldiers in barracks

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Youth militia, not soldiers behind skirmishes in Harare?

Zimbabwe soldiers clash with police in Harare

Opinion Zone

Soldiers riot in Zimbabwe

03 December 2008

By Lance Guma

Zimbabwe’s military police were turned into bankers on Tuesday after withdrawing and transporting large sums of money from different banks to the army barracks, where restless soldiers were then paid their salaries.

Our correspondent Simon Muchemwa reports that early in the morning hundreds of soldiers were queuing up at the banks still trying to get their money but around 10am were told to report to their barracks instead and get their salaries from there. The move is a clever and efficient method of getting the soldiers off the streets, to stop the protests over the cash withdrawal limits.

On Monday around 100 soldiers, thought to be from Cranborne Barracks, fought running battles with civilians and riot police. They harassed suspected foreign currency dealers after failing to get their salaries from banks, which did not have enough cash notes to dispense.

The soldiers targeted Ximex Mall in Harare, Market Square and the Road Port bus terminus, used by travellers to catch buses heading to regional destinations. Initially angry civilians threw stones at the soldiers, while riot police used live ammunition and teargas to try and contain them. Later in the skirmishes some civilians took the side of the soldiers in fighting against the police.

After the soldiers had moved from Market Square to Eastgate, hundreds of youths joined in chanting, ‘Gono hatichadi kunyengerera- Gono we are tired of begging you.’ One soldier is quoted as saying, ‘We are Mudhara’s (Mugabe) men but shefu has disappointed us by giving Gono a fresh lease of life at a time he has caused the suffering of many. He should have dismissed the idiot.’

Zimbabwe soldiers loot
Soldiers loot clothing from a shop in Harare.

Some reports say one soldier was shot dead, but Newsreel has been unable to confirm this. Eye witnesses reported seeing an injured soldier being loaded onto a police truck. News agency reports say it was only the appearance of two senior army officers from defence headquarters near Mugabe’s residence, that caused the rioters to disperse.

The disturbances began last week Thursday, when disgruntled soldiers who had been queuing in a bank all day, took their frustrations out on bank staff and then poured onto the streets and started beating people.

In response to these clashes, government on Tuesday deployed military police on the streets. Major Aliphios Makotore from the Zimbabwe National Army said the military police had been deployed to restore law and order in the country. ‘Military police will not stand by while undisciplined groups of soldiers de-stabilize the country, through lawlessness. They will heavily be dealt with,’ he said.

Only last week Agostinho Zacaria, a United Nations official in Zimbabwe, warned that Zimbabwe risked becoming another failed state, like Somalia.-SW Radio Africa

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