Mugabe survived the 2008 defeat by Tsvangirai through army rigging - ZCP

Zimbabwe Communist Party secretary general Ngqabutho Nicholas Mabhena has said President Robert Mugabe in 2008 retained power through the backing and rigging of the polls by the army generals depsite the fact that he had been defeated by MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai who got 74% votes.

He said now the veteran leader is ditching fellow war veterans who are in the league with the army generals who protected his rule turning to civilian youthful supporters who joined the party letter hence the threats by Defence forces commander Constantino Chivwenga for Mugabe to stop purging former liberation war fighters.

"On 31st March 2008, Morgan Tsvangirai had the critical mass behind him, some say he got over 74% of the total vote. It took close to two months for the election results to be officially announced. Assuming the 8% of the Simba Makoni vote was genuine, it means then that, on the 31st March 2008, 82% of the Zimbabweans who cast their vote did not vote for Robert Gabriel Mugabe," Mabhena said.

"While Tsvangirai had the critical mass behind him as expressed through the 2008 elections, Robert Gabriel Mugabe had the military power behind him. Tsvangirai could not at the time use the critical mass behind him to claim victory while Mugabe used the military power to rig the elections and prevented Tsvangirai from taking over as State President. This of course meant walking over the dead bodies of over 200 opposition supporters."

He said since June 2017, Mugabe has turned to the Zanu (PF) Youth League in turning Zimbabwe into a dynasty by imposing his wife to be the State President , to continue protecting the Mugabe family economic interests.

"The war vets leaders who rejected the imposition of Grace Mugabe like Jabulani Sibanda, in 2014 were shown the door. When Jabulani Sibanda spoke out against bedroom coup, the likes of Mutsvanga and others assisted in kicking him out, that gave Mugabe the military support he has enjoyed ever since they kicked out the late Ndabaningi Sithole in 1974 from the ZANU leadership. Mugabe was installed as head of Zanu in 1974 by the ZANLA Commanders," he said.

"But because the sun is about to set on Mugabe, his attempt to install his wife as the Head of State is been rejected by the military who installed him in 1974 and kept him there in the last 37 years after independence. The ZANLA forces used intimidation against political competitors in the 1980 elections to secure Mugabe victory. The late Dr Nkomo spoke about this in his book, The Story of My Life."

He said with the military refusing Grace Mugabe to be the next Head of State, a person born in Benoni South Africa in 1965 and only went back home with her parents in 1979 as a 14 year old girl, Mugabe has turned against the very people who put him as the head of his party against the advice of the Frontline States leaders then.

"The question therefore is, who is in charge of the army today? Is it Mugabe or its Chiwenga? In 1974, Solomon Mujuru was in charge of the ZANLA forces, is Gen Chiwenga in charge of the Zimbabwe National Defence force today? Who ever is in charge of the military between Mugabe and Chiwenga will decide on who will be the next leader. If Mugabe is in charge, Grace Mugabe or Sydney Sekeramayi is our next Head of State but if Chiwenga is in charge, Mnangagwa or Chiwenga himself is our next Head of State," he said.