THE re-engagement of Zimbabwe and the European Union (EU) should be treated with extreme caution as it can be a new regime change strategy by imperialists to infiltrate and destroy systems of the ruling party using non-governmental organisations (NGOs), according to a documentary released by the Zimbabwe Heritage Trust (ZHT).
It is entitled, Soft Power – Kubvisa Hurumende muchishandisa maNGOs.
Since ZANU PF’s victory in the July 2013 harmonised elections, there is a lot of effort by Western countries to restore ‘relations’ with Zimbabwe.
This has resulted in the EU lifting illegal sanctions it imposed against top Government officials and the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation allowing the country to trade its diamonds at AntWerp in Belgium.
Most recent, was the availing of five-year US$100 million by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and a four-year US$29 million by the EU for agricultural development programmes in the country.
However, the 40-minute documentary by the ZHT says that since 1983 through the formation of an organisation called the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) by United States, the country was using NGOs to enforce regime change in different nations in the world.
The ZHT Chief Executive Officer, Cde Pritchard Zhou, who chronicles white hypocrisy in the documentary says after the United States failed to remove ZANU PF through illegal sanctions; they resorted to the use of ‘soft power’.
“Iko zvino ndiri kuona varungu kubva 1999 vanga vachishushana nesu vachitipa masanctions vachida kuti hurumende yeZANU PF ibve mupawa, asi iko zvino vaona kuti zvatora nguva yakarebesa vavakuda kuuya samashamwari edu,” he says.
“Tiri muperiod inonzi yere-engagement iri kurwisa varungu muno vachiita sokuti mashamwari edu.”
“Iyoyo inyaya yatinofanira kungwarira zvikuru nokuti ndizvo zvavakaita kuLibya vasati vabvisa Gaddafi mupawa.
“Vakatanga vachinetsana naye nemasanctions vakazomuti chirega hatichada zvekunetsana newe tavakuda kuwirirana newe, vachibva vatanga kuwirirana naGaddafi.”
“Pavakanga vakuwirirana naye chaizvo chaizvo ndipo pavakaronga kumubvisa mupawa ende hazvina kutora nguva vakabva vamubvisa mupower ende pavanozoita nyaya iyoyi vanotozozviita vapinda muhurumende inotonga iyoyo vatova nevamwe vavanenge vachisevenza navo mubato iroro.”
Cde Zhou said most NGOs in Zimbabwe were created by United States as instruments to oust President Robert Mugabe and his Government from power.
“Varungu pavanenge voda kutaura nesu vachiti tiri mashamwari enyu havamiri kuita inonzi ‘soft power’ he said.
“Soft power zvinoreva programme yokubvisa hurumende dzisingadiwe neAmerica vachishandisa maNGOs.
“Muno munyika mukatarisa kuwanda kwakaita maNGOs muno, chatinowana kubva kumaNGOs chii?
“Vanouiswa kwatiri toudzwa kuti maNGOs madevelopment partners asi kana ukatarisa zvavanoita zuva rimwe nerimwe rinenge riri basa rekubvisa vaMugabe mupower through ‘soft power’.”
The ZHT documentary reveals that NED was formed by the United States in 1983 to enforce regime change through the use of NGOs on governments that do not submit to the American ideology of exploiting other nations.
The organisation also protects and helps to keep in power governments that support the imperialist’s interests.
Since its formation, NED has established operations in more than 100 countries through its four arms, the National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute, Centre for International Business Enterprises and Solidarity Centre.
All these arms in which NED operates represent all major groups in the United States that also aim to benefit from furthering the foreign policy of their country, among them politicians, workers and business people.
Cde Zhou in the documentary says these core institutions are used to fund various regime change NGOs in the country that are related to the operations of NED.
“NED inopiwa mari pagore nehurumende yeAmerica,” he says.
“Inopiwa mari yakawanda zvikuru, mabillion anosvika 300 or 400 billion, mutemo weAmerica ugotaura kuti mari iyoyi inofanira kupiwa kumaNGOs anosevenza munyika dzakaita seZimbabwe ichipfuura nekuma core institutions.”
“Mari inopiwa kuSolidarity Centre yakamirira maworkers ekuAmerica ndiyo inozopiwa kumaNGOs anechekuita nevasevenzi muno munyika medu. Saka maorganisations akaita sanaZimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) anopiwa mari neAmerica through Solidarity Centre.”
“CIPE yakamirira chamber of commerce yekuAmerica, inopa mari kumaNGOs ane chekuita nezvemabusiness munyika muno.
“National Democratic Institute neInternational Republican Institute maorganisations akamirira mapolitical parties ekuAmerica anopiwa mari kuti agopa kuma opposition parties anoshanda neAmerica kubvisa VaMugabe mupawa.”
And in this regard, it is public knowledge that the MDC was born out of ZCTU with its leader Morgan Tsvangirai as president.
Cde Zhou said the American strategy of ‘soft power’ could be characterised by the mushrooming of NGOs that were formed by the US Embassy during the peak of trying to remove President Mugabe in 2007.
“Takazowana report yakanga ichibva kuAmerican Embassy ya2007 yaiti iyo mugore ra2007 takanga tichida kufoma maNGOs anoita 15 asi takazofoma 29 zvinoreva kuti takagona zvikuru, zvinoreva kuti basa rekufoma maNGOs ritori basa rinofanira kuitwa neEmbassy gore rimwe nerimwe,” he said.
“Number yemaNGOs yakangotanga kukwira pakatanga Land Reform Programme ndokuzotarisa kuti pa2007 kusvika pa2010 maNGOs akaregister pamakore matatu iwaya mangani takaona kuti pakaregister 3 000 NGOs.”
“Ndipo panga pava pachimbi chimbi yekubvisa vaMugabe mupawa zvinotaridza kuti maNGOs nekuwanda kwaanga avakuita zvaiwiriranawo nekubudirira kwanga kuchiita nyaya yekubvisa vaMugabe mupawa.”
Between 1980 and 2000 when President Mugabe had not embarked on the empowerment policy, there were only 150 NGOs, but after the Land Reform Programme, the country now has more 3 000 organisations.
Besides the issue of soft power, the ZHT documentary also reveals the insatiable American appetite for Zimbabwean rich minerals.
It is one documentary that can be classified as an ‘eye opener’.