There are plans to appoint senior Zimbabwe military officers to the ruling Zanu-PF’s top decision-making body, the politburo, Zimbabwe’s The Standard newspaper has revealed.
President Robert Mugabe appears intent on forging ahead with plans to militarise all state institutions ahead of his retirement. The militarisation of the ruling party will also see its central committee having a large representation of retired army officers.
Mugabe, according to sources close to him, is in favour of a heavily militarised post-Mugabe era.
The military is gradually assuming a significant role in the running of the country, with serving and retired soldiers serving on boards of parastatals, including sports.
Zanu-PF sources said Mugabe believes a heavily militarised government that would take over from him would not try him for any rights violations carried out under his administration.
Retired Zambian president Frederick Chiluba and former Malawian president Bakili Muluzi faced a torrid time after being hounded by their hand-picked successors, prompting serving presidents — Mugabe among them — to review their initial retirement plans.
A politburo member told The Standard: ”There is a lot of uncertainty among civilian members of the politburo and central committee because there are plans to flood them with retired soldiers.”
Another member of the politburo said: ”We are not sure yet how it will be implemented or when but the plans are already at an advanced stage.”
Sources within Zanu-PF said the militarisation of all public institutions would also serve as an advantage for presidential aspirant Joice Mujuru, as most retired soldiers are likely to be loyal to her husband, retired General Solomon Mujuru.
Politburo member Dumiso Dabengwa, who is also a former military man, would not confirm if he was aware of plans to introduce more of his peers from the trenches into the Zanu-PF politburo. He said: ”Unfortunately I cannot be the source of your information.”
Nathan Shamuyarira, the party’s spokesperson, was not immediately available for comment.
However, sources told The Standard the militarisation of Zanu-PF went up a notch at Tuesday’s politburo meeting, receiving a presentation from Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi on how the government plans to transform war veterans into a reserve force.
”The current war veterans’ association structure will be disbanded and the new organisation will be assimilated into the military, receiving salaries and allowances,” said a source.
The war veterans, according to Zanu-PF’s plans, will also play a dual role of cordoning off rural areas from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
Former guerrilla commanders Dabengwa, Solomon Mujuru and Vitalis Zvinavashe were tasked by Mugabe to reorganise the war veterans’ association in 2004. — The Standard