Security chiefs sweating over G40 revival - fear another coup but with a bloody end P Guramatunhu

 

“The country’s security chiefs are sweating over the possibility of tycoon James Makamba becoming Mashonaland Central provincial chairman for Zanu PF after he reportedly submitted his CV for the position last week, it has emerged,” reported New Zimbabwe.

 

“In confidential briefings to New Zimbabwe Monday, sources said the Mashonaland Central provincial joint operations command (JOC) has consistently expressed its concerns over his candidature in its meetings, especially over his previous alleged romantic affair with former first lady Grace Mugabe which led him into fleeing the country.”

 

Security concerns are that he is a daring man capable of doing anything after he allegedly “went after the wife of Africa’s most feared man at the time”.

 

“There is a strong belief among the security chiefs that he is daring, reckless and excitable. This is from a security point of view,” a security source said.

 

JOC chiefs “are sweating” and for good reason!

 

Anyone who has followed Zanu PF politics will know that JOC is the real power behind the throne. The 2014 factional war between Robert Mugabe and Mai Mujuru was mess but it was not dangerous, at least, not as dangerous as the G40 and Lacoste factional war that followed.

 

For those who don’t know, JOC is the Junta, composed of the top brass in the Army, Police, CIO and Prison Services plus a few select Zanu PF individuals headed by Robert Mugabe (until the fateful 15 November 2017 when he was booted out in the coup) and assisted by Emmerson Mnangagwa. JOC is the real power behind the throne in Zimbabwe.

 

JOC has always played a key role in the establishment and retention of the de facto one-party Zanu PF dictatorship starting with the Gukurahundi massacre that forced PF Zapu to sign the 1987 Unity Accord, laying the fountain of the one-party state. And over the years the Police and CIO have played the key role of disrupting, harassing and even killing Zanu PF’s political opponents and critics.

 

But, without doubt, JOC came to its own in the 2008 elections when the junta was called up to wrestle political power from Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends. It was none other than Emmerson Mnangagwa who step up and mobilised the Junta. ZEC was instructed not to declare the election result and JOC spend the next six weeks cooking up new election results.

 

Morgan Tsvangirai’s 73% votes, according to Mugabe’s Freudian slip, was whittled down to 47%, enough to force the runoff. During the runoff JOC conducted a military style Operation “Mavhotera ani!” (Whom did you vote for!) A rhetorical question since JOC had just spent the last six weeks cooking up the result.

 

Operation Mavhotera ani carried out by war veterans, Zanu PF militia with the Army, Police, CIO and Prison Services personal, under orders from JOC, carrying out the heavy-duty stuff like abducting and murders. The wanton violence was punishment for rejecting Zanu PF in the earlier vote.

 

“Zanu PF has declared war on the people!” complained Tsvangirai as he announced his withdrawal from the runoff.

 

Of course, everyone knew in executing operation Mavhotera ani JOC the Junta had crossed the Rubicon River; from hence forth the Army, the Police, CIO and the Prison Service will having keeping Zanu PF in power as its number one priority and serving the nation will come a poor second.

 

The 2014 factional war that resulted in Mai Mujuru and company being booted out was not a worrying moment for the Junta because neither Mai Mujuru nor anyone of her supporters commanded much support Junta support. Indeed, Mai Mujuru was blamed for Zanu PF’s electoral in the March 2008 and hence the reason she played no part in the coup that followed.

 

The November 2017 military coup was different in that it divided JOC itself. The Army and Prison Service supported the Lacoste faction whilst the Police and CIO supported G40 factions led by Grace Mugabe on behalf of her husband. Senior members in G40 faction, Police and CIO were either booted out of office or were haunted out of the country.

 

It should be stated here for the record that the 2008 to 2013 GNU offered Zimbabwe the best opportunity even to implement the democratic reforms and dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship once and once for all. The reform, fully implemented, would have severed the bonds that have turned the Army, Police, etc. into Zanu PF departments in all but name.

 

Sadly, Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends who were entrusted the task of implementing the reforms failed to implement even one reform. Not even one!

 

“3/4 of the MDC leaders are double agents owned and controlled by Zanu PF. MDC is as much a department of Zanu PF in all but name just as the Army and Police!” boasted a Zanu PF crony.

Well, that would certainly explain why not even one MDC leader had the common sense to propose even one reform in five years of the GNU. And why MDC leaders are all, to the man and woman, insisting on participating in flawed and illegal elections even when ZEC has failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll.

It is hard to believe all the MDC leaders are that stupid to believe in these Chamisa “winning in rigged elections strategies”, especially after 41 years of rigged elections. Some MDC leaders are stupid, many. As for the reminder, they must be sell-outs!

It has been four years since the November 2017 military coup and the promised economic recovery has not materialised. When Mnangagwa proclaimed “Zimbabwe is open for business!” He was cocksure this was going to open the floodgate the much-needed investment and economic recovery. Well, there been no new investment and the economic meltdown has continued.

The failure by Mnangagwa to revive the economy means there is pressure in the country for change.

G40, Police and CIO members who were side-lined following the 2017 military coup have watched the economic meltdown and rubbed their hands with glen. They were blamed for the economic meltdown before the coup and now they cannot hide their pleasure in pointing out that the real criminals were those remained after the coup.

The failure to revive the economy has opened the door for G40 revival in Zanu PF. The G40 supporters cowed down in the aftermath of the November 2017 military coup have been emboldened by the worsening economic situation and growing public unrest.   

Even if JOC block James Makamba being elected chairperson of Mashonaland Central there will be more G40 leaders who will be elected into high office; the G40 faction revival is real and it is being fuelled by the economic meltdown.

JOC members know the revival of G40 is on the cards and rivalry in G40 and Lacoste will permeate into JOC. The mistrust between the two faction means JOC will have to step in once again to decide which faction prevails. The November 2017 military coup did not result in any bloodshed in the Army, Police, etc. the next coup may have a totally different outcome.