News / National
Police, CIO sabotaged 'Zanu-PF and backed Biti' during elections
02 Sep 2018 at 04:25hrs | Views
THE ruling Zanu-PF party believes it lost Harare East constituency in the July 30 elections due to sabotage by the police and Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) spy agency, NewZimbabwe.com reported.
Opposition MDC Alliance principal Tendai Biti coasted to a landslide victory over Zanu-PF candidate and then deputy finance minister Terence Mukupe in one of the more closely watched contests of the disputed elections.
Former finance minister Biti polled 20, 592 votes against Mukupe's 8, 593 votes in a constituency that includes the Zimbabwe Republic Police's (ZRP) Morris and Tomlison police depots.
NewZimbabwe.com heard that some in Zanu-PF believe Mukupe's defeat was down to sabotage by a police force and CIO still bitter over their treatment during and after the November 2017 military coup.
ZRP and CIO bosses were seen as backing the G40 Zanu-PF faction which was loyal to then president Robert Mugabe and wife Grace as the security services were corralled into the ruling party's succession dispute.
The military was part of the Lacoste faction which rallied behind then vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa.
"Ordinarily, Zanu-PF should not lose Harare East because of the presence of police cantonments there, but there was a reaction to November 2017," said an official who preferred not to be identified.
The problem was also evident during the deadly August 1 post-election violence in central Harare when the police "took too long to act against the opposition protestors".
Political analyst Mlungisi Dube said that the manner in which the military treated other security agencies during coup created animosity between the agencies which was "very dangerous" for the country.
"It confirms a lot that has been said about divisions rocking our security agencies and it is clear that after the November coup the army started side-lining other security agencies thereby creating a deadly feud with them.
"It is however, unfortunate … we expect members of the security sector to be as independent as any citizen of Zimbabwe," said Dube.
The ZRP boss at the time Augustine Chihuri was ousted after the coup and is now thought to be living in Malawi while former CIO boss and brief justice minister Happyton Bonyongwe was also side-lined.
Opposition MDC Alliance principal Tendai Biti coasted to a landslide victory over Zanu-PF candidate and then deputy finance minister Terence Mukupe in one of the more closely watched contests of the disputed elections.
Former finance minister Biti polled 20, 592 votes against Mukupe's 8, 593 votes in a constituency that includes the Zimbabwe Republic Police's (ZRP) Morris and Tomlison police depots.
NewZimbabwe.com heard that some in Zanu-PF believe Mukupe's defeat was down to sabotage by a police force and CIO still bitter over their treatment during and after the November 2017 military coup.
ZRP and CIO bosses were seen as backing the G40 Zanu-PF faction which was loyal to then president Robert Mugabe and wife Grace as the security services were corralled into the ruling party's succession dispute.
The military was part of the Lacoste faction which rallied behind then vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa.
"Ordinarily, Zanu-PF should not lose Harare East because of the presence of police cantonments there, but there was a reaction to November 2017," said an official who preferred not to be identified.
The problem was also evident during the deadly August 1 post-election violence in central Harare when the police "took too long to act against the opposition protestors".
Political analyst Mlungisi Dube said that the manner in which the military treated other security agencies during coup created animosity between the agencies which was "very dangerous" for the country.
"It confirms a lot that has been said about divisions rocking our security agencies and it is clear that after the November coup the army started side-lining other security agencies thereby creating a deadly feud with them.
"It is however, unfortunate … we expect members of the security sector to be as independent as any citizen of Zimbabwe," said Dube.
The ZRP boss at the time Augustine Chihuri was ousted after the coup and is now thought to be living in Malawi while former CIO boss and brief justice minister Happyton Bonyongwe was also side-lined.
Source - newzimbabwe
