‘Army in renewed terror campaign’
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/
Thursday, 30 September 2010 21:06
CONSTITUTIONAL Parliamentary Committee co-chairman Douglas Mwonzora has
accused the military and other state security agents of terrorising
villagers during the outreach programme of the constitution-making process,
saying a climate of fear was enveloping outlying districts of the country.
Mwonzora said this week as a result of the fear and intimidation meetings
would have to be held again in at least 1 100 centres throughout the country
to try to rescue people’s views which were suppressed by Zanu PF militants
who were aided and abetted by the army and other security structures.
This comes a week after Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai also complained
about activities of the army during the flawed and violence-ridden
constitution-making process. The premier said the military and state agents’
involvement in the exercise should be investigated. In previous elections,
Tsvangirai blamed the army for violence and intimidation and even rigging of
polls. During the 2008 presidential election run-off, Tsvangirai pulled out
of the race, citing violence and brutality by the army and other security
services.
“We note with concern the militarisation of the process, interfering with a
purely civilian process. Reports from all over the country show the heavy
involvement of the military in the process,” he said.
“In rural areas, ordinary people were under siege from similar cases of
military meddling. The military and state agents’ involvement must be
investigated and the principals must meet immediately to map the way
forward.”
Mwonzora told the Zimbabwe Independent that there was allegedly heavy
involvement of the military and state security agents before, during and
after outreach meetings throughout the country.
He said the soldiers, some in civilian clothing and others in uniform,
attended the consultations and addressed people prior to the outreach
meetings, telling them what to say and threatening those that might want to
speak against Zanu PF positions.
“They would be dropped at centres before the arrival of the Copac team, they
would then address the gathering on what to say and the people that must
speak and not speak. They would then advise them on the specific measures
that would be taken against those that do not obey,” Mwonzora said.
Mwonzora said the areas to be redone also include those that were affected
by “politically motivated violence, fear, intimidation, busing in of
participants, manhandling of Copac members, verbal threats, racial
intolerance, assaults, whistling and booing of participants presenting
different views, sloganeering and singing revolutionary songs”.
Director of Defence Forces Public Relations department Everson Magwiza
denied the army was beating up people and disrupting meetings, saying there
was no operation in which soldiers were deployed during outreach meetings.
“I am not aware that we have any involvement. What I know is that like
everybody else, members of the army are free to participate in the
constitution-making process,” he said.
However, Mwonzora insisted that he had electronic evidence from the outreach
teams that show the involvement of the military and state security agents,
particularly in rural areas, before, during and after the meetings.
“Allegations of involvement of military people and CIO operatives were
brought to the committee by some outreach teams in Matabeleland South,
Mashonaland West, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Masvingo and Harare,” he
said.
“We can confirm that the CIO was present at all meetings. In Manicaland,
there is evidence on camera and electronic evidence of members of the CIO
masquerading as villagers. Some of them were identified in Nyanga where they
were known and were removed from the meetings.”
He singled out Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba, saying he was
involved in deploying soldiers in Manicaland.
“We received reports in Manicaland of military officers from 3 Brigade
commanded by Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba being bused to areas
around Mutare, Chipinge and Nyanga,” he said, adding that “they even
picketed there. Definitely there was a heavy presence of the military. I can
confirm that there was rogue behaviour by the military that forced three
meetings to be abandoned in Nyanga alone.”
However, the other co-chairperson Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana said they had 4
600 reports to go through and could not confirm the allegations because he
had not gone through them yet.
Mwonzora said: “We also received allegations of members of the army getting
into the programme. I can give you an example of Nyanga South where members
of the military from the local battalion battle school went and caused
mayhem at Nyatondo outreach centre, as a result the outreach meetings were
cancelled twice,” he said.
“There were also military officers present in Dzivaresekwa and officers from
Cranborne barracks at the meetings in Mbare at Mai Musodzi Hall and
Hatfield. They were spread across the districts and in some instances, they
were identified by villagers. The involvement of the military is well
documented.”
Copac reports of aborted meetings in Manicaland, which the Independent has
copies of, read: “… at Nyatondo Primary School in Nyanga South, bused
participants refused to leave the venue. The majority of the participants
were soldiers and uniformed soldiers also attended the meeting. The road was
blocked so that Copac members could not leave the place.”
While at St Peter’s Tokoyo primary school in Makoni South, the report said
Copac team members were chased away by state security agents.
“After bussed in participants began leaving the venue, Copac team members
from Zanu PF also left the meeting. The remaining team members decided to
proceed with the meeting but were chased away by CIO an hour and a half
later,” read the report.
In another incident at Nemaire Primary School in Headlands, MDC supporters
were threatened into not attending meetings and those who had threatened
them “were armed” when they attended the meeting.
“Those who had threatened participants then attended the meeting and were
armed and advised participants that they will deal with those putting across
MDC positions,” read the report.
Mwonzora said he raised the issue with the military, who told him that the
soldiers could have been at the meetings in their personal capacities to
contribute like any other citizen to the constitution-making process.
He said they also told him that the soldiers were not on duty, while some
might have been retired army officers visiting their rural homes.
Mwonzora said it seemed that the whole operation by the soldiers was well
organised and coordinated.
“They are well-organised; these officers were deployed at each and every
station. They were transported there and they were transported from there,”
he said.
In Harare, whose outreach programme was suspended because of violence, the
co-chairperson said they would re-do 42 centres, which will be broken down
into smaller groups.
Faith Zaba