Time to push out military rule, says Welshman Ncube

MDC leader Welshman Ncube has urged the electorate to vote out President Emmerson Mnangagwa's "military-captured" government in the upcoming general elections or risk entrenching military rule for the next five years.

Ncube, who is MDC Alliance spokesperson, made the remarks during a campaign rally in Ntabazinduna, Matabeleland South province, on Sunday.

The Ncube-led MDC is a member of the MDC Alliance, whose presidential candidate is Nelson Chamisa.

"We are now in the most critical final phase of dislodging Zanu-PF rule, which has now turned into a military rulership. If we miss this opportunity in this upcoming election, we will be ruled by the military full time," he said.

"Don't ever think that Emmerson Mnangagwa is the one ruling the country. He is surrounded by the military, the very same people that forcibly removed [former President] Robert Mugabe. After chasing Mugabe, they did not return to the barracks, they only removed military combat in exchange for suits."

Ncube said the military, after removing Mugabe last November, called Mnangagwa back from exile to be their stooge.

"[Vice-President Constantino] Chiwenga is pretending to be Mnangagwa's deputy yet in real fact, he is being deputised by Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa is busy saying 'pasi nemhandu', but he is surrounded by the very same people he is denouncing," he said.

"The army did not end by taking over the country, it went further to control Zanu-PF. The junta flooded every polling station with military personnel. If you vote for people who have captured Zanu-PF, this will entail that we are under military rule forever."

Ncube claimed the Lacoste faction plan was for Mnangagwa to be in power for five years and pave way for Chiwenga to take over.

"In this election, we must remove power from the military and bring it back to the people, civilian rule," he said.

But Bulawayo Provincial Affairs minister Angeline Masuku on Saturday said she did not agree with the claim that the military toppled Mugabe.

Masuku, while addressing war veterans at an outreach meeting at Stanley Square in Bulawayo, said it was not true that the military staged a coup to install Mnangagwa.

"I do not agree with the assertion that Zimbabwe Defence Forces [ZDF] took the country by force. I did not see the ZDF full on the streets, but I saw people of all tribes and colour on the streets," she said. "ZDF did not force people to go out in the streets."

She insisted that the change of government administration was not a military idea, but was citizens' idea shown through their numbers during the demonstration in Harare.