By Fungi Kwaramba
HARARE – War Veterans leader Christopher Mutsvangwa has warned Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo that the country’s army will soon descend on him if he does not shut up.
This comes after Moyo has cast aspersions on the defence chief Constantino Chiwenga’s PhD from University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, challenging the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander to state the real authors of “his” dissertation.
The spat was actuated by the Command Agriculture scheme linked with Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Moyo has railed against the agriculture scheme as a successionist programme.
This infuriated Chiwenga, who put up a spirited defence of the scheme in the State media, telling Moyo he was a coward who deserted the liberation war and a homosexual avowed to destroy Zanu PF party from within.
The army boss also claimed that the Higher Education minister was “Baba Jukwa”, a shadowy Facebook character who spilled Zanu PF secrets ahead of the 2013 elections.
Air Force of Zimbabwe chief Perrance Shiri also joined the fray last weekend, aiming his guns at the Higher Education minister.
“Jonso (has) gone bananas . . . which police force and law officer will entertain that? Those whom the gods want to destroy, they first make mad,” Mutsvangwa said.
“Ian Smith and Peter Walls were the last humiliated villains to take on Zanla forces . . . I think ZDF as State channel is now the right channel for him.
“Kagame of Rwanda too, in DRC campaign, nearly scalped by ZDF, Jonso ngaatambe nezvimwe (Moyo must not play with fire).”
Moyo was not picking up his mobile phone yesterday and also did not respond to texts messages sent to his mobile phone.
However, he was quoted by an online publication saying that Chiwenga made false and defamatory allegations against him.
Academic Eldred Masunungure said: “The Zimbabwe military must be understood from its historical origin, the security apparatus as a whole and Zanu PF.
“If there is a perception that there are some destabilising forces, they believe that it is their role to secure the country, they have an expansive definition of national security.
“The general is saying what some ministers are doing compels them to intervene, but also that the security is part of that conflated party-State, so it is not surprising that the military makes such pronouncements. The generation of liberation war heroes cannot disassociate itself from Zanu PF.
“They have an option of arresting him (Moyo) but it suggests that they are now about to contain him and that can take several forms and arresting is one, the options are open-ended, it appears as though they have reached a stage where they are saying enough is enough.” Daily News
