‘Why Mnangagwa is dangerous’

By Job ‘Wiwa’ Sikhala

Sometimes people do not understand my straightforward sentiments on the governance of Emmerson Mnangagwa primarily because of fear of the unknown.

Fear of the unknown is fear grounded on harm visiting upon someone or falling on someone if you voice against the injustice perpetrated by the powers that be. 

It is planted in the psyche of the public and it leads citizens into resignation to fate. Those in power love it because they will reap the fruits of that fear and do whatever they want with the nation and its people because to them, beholden the power of fear.

It is on this background, that I want to share with many people how the Zimbabwe State, is currently under the grip of a sophisticated system that portrays itself different from what it is.

This deception had takers in the initial stages soon after the coup on November 17,2018, until the period we slowly exposed it for what it is. People didn’t understand the kind of a person that they were dealing with.

Some of us who had an opportunity to understand how people with intelligence backgrounds can be dangerous to be given power knew from the beginning that Mnangagwa was going to be a dangerous albatross around the freedom neck of the people of Zimbabwe.

The power of the State is constructed around a powerful intelligence system that becomes its source of survival. This is the Israeli theorem.

Military strength comes as a complementary and supplementary source of security. That’s why all Arab states can not do anything against the State of Israel. Israel would know what their adversaries think in advance and the toilets their enemies use.

Mnangagwa, since the coming into being of the State of Zimbabwe has been the power behind the late Robert Mugabe since independence. He created one of the most feared intelligence systems in our country in the form of the CIO.

The CIO became the source of fear through its overt and covert operations, in the assassination and murder, abductions and disappearances of political opponents, in the poisoning using chemicals imported from Russia and North Korea of government adversaries.

In dealing with political opponents, they always took a leading role. The first experiment was done against Father Zimbabwe, Joshua Nkomo and ZAPU soon after independence. The operation became overt and covert to extinguish ZAPU from the face of the earth.

The role of the CIO which was created in the image of Mnangagwa can not be overemphasized, but we all know the role they played in Zimbabwe against opponents of the system up to present.

How from 2000, when the MDC was formed became the source of assassination against many leaders of our party from those in lower structures to those who were in senior party positions.

That’s why it is my belief that an organization without a polished, sophisticated intelligence system will not dethrone a system whose foundation is based on the use and manipulation of the state institutions.

Mnangagwa, like Vladimir Putin, is well acquainted with the sophistry of how to manipulate systems to his maximum advantage. Since Putin took over from Boris Yeltsin in 2002, the people of the Russian Federation have been tossed upside down by the former KGB Director of External Intelligence. He uses purging, fear and manipulation to remain unshaken in power.

His use and manipulation of the intelligence system is felt and feared even in far foreign lands. Some Americans today strongly believed that Putin’s intelligence manipulated its electoral system and rigged Donald Trump to power. This is not a simple allegation.

It somehow demonstrates the danger of people whose background is fostered in intelligence. Today, Putin alternates from President to Prime Minister in the process manipulating the Russian Federation constitution, and the nation is stuck with him until 2024, despite huge and widespread disenchantment and discontent against his rule.

All through his long run Emmerson Mnangagwa was always dreaming to succeed his master Robert Mugabe. The first thing he devised was to fight and keep Mugabe in power under whatever circumstances. Whether it be through rigging elections using the intelligence system like what he did in 2002, 2013 or 2018, or brazen murder and assassination of opponents like what he did against ZAPU from 1980-87, or in 2008, he would not care as long as he has returned power.

The video of him speaking after, the ZANU PF and Robert Mugabe defeat in 2008, where he said that he phoned looking for Didymus Mutasa who had already packed his goods to Rusape after Mugabe’s clear defeat by the icon of democracy Morgan Tsvangirai, and his hunting for Elliot Manyika who was the Political Commissar of the party who was not answering his phone, should tell any normal Zimbabwean the evil man we are dealing with.

Clearly, the intention was to subvert the will of the people, which he successfully did. The unexplained death of General Solomon Mujuru, who was his political nemesis rings something in my head. All his internal rivals died in circumstances that leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Edison Zvobgo, Josiah Tungamirai. The car accidents that eliminated Sydney Malunga, Chris Ushewokunze, Moven Mahachi and many more.

Knowing very well that CIO, as I earlier pointed out is not enough without the compliment of military power, the man had to find ways and means to manipulate the military to his side as it has its own intelligence system that does not report to the Minister of Intelligence.

He duped Mugabe to accept the idea of forming an organ outside the control of the State or party. It reports to its own commanders and the Minister of Defense direct to the President.

The opportunity was gracingly presented to him when Mugabe chose him as the trusted lieutenant to chair an unconstitutional body created to serve the interests of the party and not the nation called the Joint Operations Council (JOC).

It presented him with an opportunity to interact with all the service chiefs of security sector. Unbeknown to Mugabe, the man was building his fortress that will come to bite him to death. JOC is not a creation of the constitution or any statute in our country. It’s a security coordination club that governs itself and is not answerable to any constitutive organ of the State.

It is used as a platform to plan and plot against opponents of the system. It established decentralized structures down to district levels. That is to mean, there are provincial JOC meetings chaired by the Provincial Ministers that involves provincial heads of CIO, Army, Police, Prison Services and a provincial ZANU PF Chairman.

The District JOC is chaired by the District Administrator of the designated district with the district heads of the same above institutions in attendance.

They forward reports to the JOC centre which Mnangagwa was chairing. Mnangagwa with few chosen commanders would then go and report to Mugabe. Manipulation of intelligence details and reports along the way would be the order of the day because murume akanga oumba chinhu chake.

That’s why you realised that when the red line was drawn on the succession battle, Mnangagwa would clap, smile and feel unmoved when he was insulted, demeaned, decampaigned right on his face during the ZANU PF Youth interface Rallies. That is the deception only unique to evil schemers.

Grace Mugabe would rant all day long finger pointing him, he would not be moved. Even people like Sarah Mahoka and Mandi Chimene would call him “dhakisi”, on his face but he would respond to it by a smile. You people, that smile was not a love smile. It was an evil smile and you wouldn’t see that he was feigning stupidity.

Despite the other group having thoroughly brained people like Prof Jonathan Moyo, the last you would see of them was when when he mounted a scooter in the forests of Mozambique into safety. That smile of idiocy is what it ended up doing. With all those brains he made them flee in terror into the land of the aliens.

This is a man who does not need to be apologetic when you resolve to deal with. His stupid rantings that “nyangwe 2030 ndinenge ndiripo”, should not be taken lightly. He shouts stupid, talks like an overdosed marijuana smoker, looks like the worst empty vessel ever to be around. In such deceptive demeanor he needs to be treated with committed toughness. He needs to be treated with utmost sophistry, bravery and commitment.

Whatever I say is informed from the knowledge of how to deal with these kind of evil people. They know they can not be voted by the most insane of mind. They resort to elections which they know, they have already predetermined. Zimbabweans shouted hoarse about NIKUV after the 2013 elections but it just died a natural death. No one talks about NIKUV today.

Resorting to play the game to his tune is suicidal. 2030 tino svika varipo. They need shock and aware. They need to be surprised by the people. The people own everything. That’s why I have got a strong belief in people. We owe it to our country. Together we will break this barrier.

And let me reassure you, the man is living in the illusion of his intelligence sphere. We will bring him down to the people and the people will ask him questions to answer.

Freedom is coming.

Job ‘Wiwa’ Sikhala is the Vice Chairman of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and also the MP for Zengeza West