WHILE the brazen confirmation by the US through their Assistant Secretary Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Robert Destro that they are working with opposition forces to effect regime change in the country had long been in the public domain, the critical issue is how security forces will deal with the planning violent demonstrations without playing into the hands of the enemy.
The opposition MDC, together with their allies in the so-called civil society have been, in recent weeks, working on what they believe is a well-knit plan to make the country ungovernable through anarchy; with their eyes firmly on attracting the attention of the UN Security Council.
The violent demonstrations are scheduled to take place in May 2020.
And the US has been providing both financial and tactical support for the impending anarchy.
Their plan is to openly confront security forces, creating an image of a country at war and present to the world what they will call a fact book of human rights violations by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Government.
Zimbabweans have to be wary of this gory move by opposition forces.
And as has always been the case, the ever intrusive hand of the West has been visible in both the planning and co-ordination of that devilish project.
On October 11 2019, this publication warned that the MDC was taking instructions from the US Government to plunge the country into civil strife.
The coming out in the open of the US, through Destro, that sanctions are not panacea to their long-held dream of effecting regime change in the country is not only indicative of Uncle Sam’s frustrations that their plans in Zimbabwe are failing but that the country is certainly on the right track.
Destro told reporters in a teleconference last week that sanctions have not brought about the ‘change’ that his country has been craving for, a local daily reported.
He indicated that sanctions could be supported by ‘action’ from Zimbabweans, whom he ‘encouraged’ to confront their Government.
If there was any need for confirmation that the US does not respect Zimbabwe’s sovereignty, one does not have to go beyond Destro’s appalling threats against the country.
We have a seemingly confused US that is yet to come to terms with the fact that Zimbabwe is an independent country that can chart its destiny without undue outside influence.
“No, sanctioning is not enough, at the end of the day, responsibility to police the boundaries of human rights rests with the Zimbabwean people themselves and we respect their sovereignty,” Destro said.
“Our job is to call the situation as we see it.”
Heeding the US’ reckless ‘call’ has been the civic society which is in the final stages of preparations for embarking on the violent demonstrations.
They have been making ‘consultations’ with the MDC with a view to supposedly ‘join’ hands to confront the Government.
The MDC will take a political approach while the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) will take the Constitutional route.
In the MDC, youth leader Gift Ostallos Siziba has been working with characters like Denford ‘Madhuku’ Ngadziore, one Bhonzorehangaiwa and a youth identified as Dunga to mobilise for the May demonstrations.
They have the backing of the Tendai Biti and Job Sikhala faction, which is said to be pushing vigorously for a violent confrontation with Government.
The same group is said to be angling to take over from Nelson Chamisa as factionalism threatens to rip apart the unstable opposition party.
Sikhala was recently at loggerheads with MDC youths after he allegedly duped them of their ‘ill-gotten dues’ during protests in St Mary’s a fortnight ago.
Sources say the bellicose legislator promised the youths US$300 for demonstrating in Chitungwiza but he gave them 300 RTGS.
It took the intervention of a Western embassy to solve the impasse, the sources added.
In a statement last week, the opposition party confirmed they are planning to unleash violence.
“The people’s party resolved to work with all progressive forces in pushing for a peaceful and non-violent people’s action meant to return the country to legitimacy and democracy,” reads the statement in part.
History has taught us that whenever the MDC talks about peaceful protests, the exact opposite happens.
This is what our October 11 2019 report said in part:
“And the MDC has been consistent on the violence front, with a record that stretches as far back as 2002.
The violent confrontation plan was laid bare by MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa during his party’s 20th anniversary on September 20 2019 at Rufaro Stadium.
On September 18 2019, the party’s standing committee held a meeting at Harvest House where it was agreed that the opposition party’s youths had to be more ‘militant’ in their demonstrations.
There are striking similiraties between Chamisa and the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s Free Zimbabwe Campaign and Save Zimbabwe Campaign, respectively.
Both are drawn from the same template.
On March 17 2006, Tsvangirai’s MDC was beginning its two- day convention in Harare which would adopt a programme of further destabilising Zimbabwe.
Called ‘democratic resistance’ (DRC), the programme aimed to sabotage the country and throw it into anarchy.
From March 2006, right up to March 2007, Tsvangirai and his faction of the MDC embarked on a whirlwind tour of Zimbabwe’s cities, all the time making it clear this was a build- up to the mass action.”
March is now being used by forces opposed to President Mnangagwa and ZANU PF rule to galvanise the masses to employ violence as a weapon to remove the Government from power.
The US cannot be exonerated from this scheming.
The MDC, sources say, has a two-pronged plan which mainly revolves around employing what they call ‘surprise element’.
On the one hand, they plan to infiltrate high density suburbs, to draw the security out of the CBD.
This publication has been told by impeccable sources that the high destiny suburbs plan is premised on the hope that there will be a significant number of casualties when they unleash violence there.
The thinking is that occupying high density suburbs stretches the security forces’ resources.
That would leave the CBD potentially vulnerable.
In the CBD, they plan to hit high value targets through the ‘hit and run’ strategy.
Stones and boulders will be smuggled in city council vehicles under the guise of material for road repairs, among other issues.
The CiZC, on the other hand, plans to use their ‘consultations’ with the public against proposed Constitutional amendments under Constitutional Amendment Bill No 2 as a way to mobilise for the demonstrations.
“We have vowed to mobilise citizens to reject the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No 2, accusing the ruling ZANU PF party of railroading the legislature to amend the laws to settle its factional fights,” CiZC said in a statement on Tuesday last week.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), which gave birth to the MDC and has been at the forefront of fomenting violence in the country, has also been moving around the country mobilising the masses to join their violent demonstrations.
The ZCTU, through its president Peter Mutasa, orchestrated the January 14-16 2019 violence that resulted in looting of shops, burning of property and the beating up of innocent citizens by marauding MDC youths.
They say they have been making consultations with workers before they announce their ‘position’ which, in reality, is another round of violent demonstrations.
The pressure on Zimbabwe is from all over.
On Wednesday, US senators James Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Chris Coons, a member of the sub-committee on Africa and Global Health Policy were revelling in the US Department of the Treasury’s decision to add Zimbabwe Ambassador to Tanzania Anselem Sanyatwe and State Security Minister Owen Ncube to their ever growing sanctions list.
This follows a letter that the duo wrote to Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in January this year, urging them to add more names to the US sanctions list.
“While the US has been the top provider of humanitarian and development aid to meet the needs of Zimbabwe’s people, the government of Zimbabwe has implemented a misinformation campaign blaming the country’s woes on targeted sanctions programmes implemented by the US,” the two Senators said in their January letter.
“It is important that the US communicate to the people of Zimbabwe that our sanctions programmes are aimed at deterring human rights abuses, public corruption, the undermining of democratic processes or institutions, and political repression in Zimbabwe.
They are not aimed at the Zimbabwean people.
Given the developments in Zimbabwe over the last two years, we urge you to consider enhancing the tools at your disposal, including the use of targeted sanctions, to incentivise changes in behaviour by the government of Zimbabwe.
An update to the list of the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list should incorporate a balance of new designations with appropriate removals.”
They got their wish through the addition of Ambassador Sanyatwe and Minister Ncube to the list.
The senators, however, say more names should be added.
“We are pleased to see the Departments of Treasury and State act on our request to update the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list for Zimbabwe,” the Senators said.
The message that should be loud and clear to those who are planning to cause anarchy is that their plans will be resisted.
They should take heed.
Let those with ears listen.