Zimbabwe’s national intelligence agency on Monday began deploying its secret agents within the army and police to purge officers suspected of backing opposition plans to revolt against the government, ZimOnline has learnt.
In a confidential memorandum dated 19 February 2007, Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) Director General Happyton Bonyongwe expressed concern over the leakage of sensitive information to the opposition.
The memo titled, ”Reversal of Mass Action,” was addressed to State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa. It blamed the leakage on senior army and police commanders who are suspected of working with the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party.
”There is indeed a lot of privileged information on security that is found with the opposition and that is alarming. However, I would like to inform you that we will start deploying our members within the police and army on March 5 2007 and expect to complete the deployments on March 21.
”We will begin by targeting provincial and district commanders, who pose the biggest threat as they are always in possession of vital documents and are privy to information that is classified. We expect the teams to have finished their task and reported back to us by April 30 2007,” said Bonyongwe in the memo.
Last month, the CIO claimed that the MDC was seeking to incite worker grievances to incite a public revolt against Mugabe, warning that the revolt had ”all chances of succeeding” unless the government moved to preempt it.
Sources said there were real fears within the CIO that some senior army and police officers were working with the MDC to leak vital intelligence information to the opposition party.
The deployment, they said, was meant to weed out senior officers who are on the ”opposition’s payroll”.
”Mutasa tasked Bonyongwe to find ways of reversing the growing influence of the MDC in inciting the public into revolting against the government. This came after concerns that some senior army officers were involved in leaking information to the MDC,” said one of the sources, who cannot be named for security reasons.
Morale is said to have hit rock-bottom within Zimbabwe’s security forces, with hundreds of junior soldiers and police officers having deserted or resigned over the past few years because of poor pay and working conditions.
Political analysts say worsening hunger could force junior soldiers to openly revolt or refuse to defend the government should Zimbabweans rise up in a civil rebellion.
Mutasa refused to comment on the matter when he was contacted by ZimOnline on Thursday night.
”Leave me alone, I do not discuss security matters with the press,” he said before switching off his phone.
Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi said there was nothing sinister in weeding out ”enemies” within the country’s security forces.
”The president’s office is free to do its duty in the way they feel is best for them. I am also against members of the force who work against the government which pays them,” said Mohadi.
Zimbabwe is on a political knife-edge following plans by the ruling Zanu-PF party to extend Mugabe’s term by two more years.
The plan has been met with unprecedented opposition from some of his closest lieutenants in Zanu-PF, while outraged opposition parties, churches and civic groups have threatened to launch street protests to block the move. – ZimOnline