Security forces chiefs meet to discuss coup plot

By Tichaona Sibanda
15 June 2007

The country’s security chiefs are reported to have met in Harare Friday to try and carry out a post-mortem of events that led to a foiled coup against Robert Mugabe.

Amid reports of the foiled coup, several Zanu (PF) officials aligned to one particular faction have been seen at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, South Africa this week briefing delegates there that Mugabe would be gone before the end of this year.

The Joint Operations Command (JOC) meeting is held on a weekly basis and is attended by the heads of the Army, Airforce, Police, and the Central Intelligence Organisation. It is usually chaired by Robert Mugabe and is also attended by the defence and security ministers.

A source told us the seriousness of the attempt to force Mugabe out and the subsequent witch-hunt that followed reports of the coup had forced the hierarchy of the country’s security forces to invite influential former Defence Forces generals Solomon Mujuru and Vitalis Zvinavashe to the meeting.

The same source said it was highly unlikely that Mujuru, as reported on Thursday, was under house arrest as he had been seen in public in Mashonaland East but was saying nothing about the coup plot.

Giles Mutsekwa, the MDC’s chief of security and intelligence, said apart from what is in the public domain, the army had apparently managed to suppress the reports of coup. He said if it is true there was a coup plot the perpetrators would be charged under military rules and not a civilian court.

‘A coup plot is a treasonable charge and the alleged perpetrators will certainly be court marshalled. But the problem with the latest coup reports is that it’s not exactly clear who is behind it because of the factional fighting in Zanu (PF),’ Mutsekwa said.

As we said on Thursday accurate information about the country’s military activities is notoriously difficult to find. There are conflicting and different reports about the coup, suggesting that this is all part of the bitter infighting in Zanu (PF) as both factional leaders have been mentioned as being involved. It is known Mujuru and Mnangagwa don’t see eye to eye and that both men are reportedly plotting behind Mugabe’s back to oust him from power. It also seems one camp is now blaming the other for this plot.

But eyebrows have been raised by the extraordinary sight of several Zanu (PF) functionaries in Cape Town brandishing what they called was a recovery plan once Mugabe was out of the picture.