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Mugabe Cracks Whip

The Daily News (Harare)
NEWS
June 9, 2003
Posted to the web June 8, 2003

By Sydney Masamvu, Assistant Editor

THE police and Zimbabwe's premier spy agency, the Central Intelligence
Organisation (CIO), will spearhead a crackdown against the opposition Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC), non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other
perceived anti-government elements in the aftermath of last week's mass action,
The Daily News has established.
Intelligence sources yesterday said the crackdown, which would be co-ordinated
by the CIO's internal branch along with the police, would target leaders of the
MDC and the party's supporters as well as NGOs, companies and banks that were
closed during the mass protests.
The government last week insisted that business should carry on as normal
during the five-day anti-government protests that ended on Friday, promising
that State security forces would provide adequate protection against violence
and looting.
But most of Zimbabwe ground to a halt last week, with the majority of
businesses and other organisations remaining closed, prompting the government
to threaten to withdraw operating licences from businesses that remained shut.
The mass action, which the government says was aimed at toppling President
Robert Mugabe, was declared illegal by the High Court.
However, the MDC insists it only wanted to press Mugabe into agreeing to
dialogue between the country's main political parties as a means of resolving
Zimbabwe's economic and political crises.
Government and intelligencesources said the arrest on Friday of MDC leader
Morgan Tsvangirai, who is facing fresh treason charges, was the beginning of a
swoop on opposition party leaders who were involved in the mass protests.
Police at the weekend indicated that they wanted to interview MDC secretary-
general Welshman Ncube and were trying to establish his whereabouts.
MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi told The Daily News yesterday that the police
also wanted to press treason charges against Ncube.
"Welshman Ncube is not in hiding contrary to what we are hearing from the State
media. What we know is that the police want to charge him with treason, charges
which our leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is also facing," Nyathi said.
Sources privy to the government's plans said more MDC leaders, several of whom
are already facing various charges in the courts, would be arrested this week.
The sources said this was supposed to "weaken" the leadership of the MDC before
the resumption of inter-party dialogue.
They said a senior intelligence official and a top government minister and ZANU
PF politburo member on Saturday night visited Borrowdale Police Station where
Tsvangirai is detained.
The purpose of the visit could not be established before going to print
yesterday.
"The swoop is already in motion to bring to book whoever was behind the illegal
mass protests to overthrow the government through illegal protests.
"Those targeted include the MDC leadership and we have the full blessing of all
those in authority in doing that," an official in the State Security Ministry
told The Daily News.
Mugabe on Friday indicated that the government would come down hard on the MDC
and those who had participated in the mass action.
MDC vice-president Gibson Sibanda said his party was aware that the government
wanted to persecute its leaders.
"What the regime seeks to do is merely to intimidate, humiliate and persecute
the MDC leadership," Sibanda said.
State Security Minister Nicholas Goche, while not confirming or denying plans
to swoop down on the MDC and other elements perceived to be anti-ZANU PF,
however said his organisation was working to ensure "elements" who wanted to
subvert the country through illegal actions were brought to book.
"Elements who want to destabilise the country, and in particular the government
of the day through illegal means, will be dealt with within the confines of the
law," Goche told The Daily News without elaborating.

   

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