NCA calls on armed forces to respect will of the people

By Tichaona Sibanda
21 March 2008

The National Constitutional Assembly has called on the armed forces to support the people’s yearning for change. NCA chairperson Lovemore Madhuku has requested members of the armed forces to refuse to be used as pawns by their commanders.

‘You have heard your commanders declare that they would not support and salute anyone other than the current president. But it is this President and his elite that have made the lives of you, your family and all of us, a daily misery. The security establishment holds the key to what a post election Zimbabwe will look like, and whether reconstruction and development will take hold,’ Madhuku said in a statement.

He added: ‘You are recognized as a key force in Zimbabwe that holds the balance of power. It is you that can ensure an environment that is conducive for the reconstruction of Zimbabwe. You hold an extreme amount of power. Power that can be abused and manipulated, as has been done in the past, to hurt, intimidate and further subjugate the ordinary people of our country.’

The NCA issued the statement following threats by the country’s service chiefs that they would not salute a presidential winner who did not have war credentials. The outbursts, viewed by many as a coup threat, have angered the opposition parties.

A political analyst said while the threat of a military coup in the country cannot be discounted should Mugabe lose the elections, the prospect is both economically and politically unattainable.

Isaac Dziya, a retired police assistant commissioner, claimed a coup would not be sustainable in Zimbabwe because it would not have the backing of junior officers, the backbone of the armed forces. The state of the economy would also make a coup unacceptable to a restive population that is reeling from the effects of a failed government.

The country’s top cop, Augustine Chihuri, last week said he would not allow ‘puppets’ to rule the country after the general elections. The outburst was a direct reference to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and independent candidate, Simba Makoni, who have both been labelled ‘puppets’ by Robert Mugabe

His comments came in the wake of similar threats issued by defence forces commander General Constantine Chiwenga, who vowed ‘the army will not salute sell-outs and agents of the West before, during and after the presidential elections’.

Chiwenga’s threats were preceded by similar remarks from the head of the country’s Prison Service, Major-General Paradzai Zimondi, who said he would resign and ‘go back to defend my piece of land’ if Mugabe lost.

Dziya said he believed the threats were only meant to confuse and intimidate voters. ‘I take them as silly comments from a group of people who feel threatened to lose control of their wealth. These are people who are prisoners in their own world,’ Dziya said.