News / National
Zim generals have no capacity to carry out a coup
09 Jul 2012 at 11:56hrs | Views
MDC secretary-general, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, has said the military top brass were posturing when they claimed they would not salute anyone without liberation credentials.
She said the generals did not have the capacity to carry out a coup in the event that President Robert Mugabe lost elections.
"They can wish it, but they can't. Let us call their bluff," Misihairabwi-Mushonga said at the Quill Club in Harare on Friday.
"Those are just scare tactics. it's disempowering because from there, people would be scared to go and vote, thinking the result is predetermined."
She said the army did not have the capacity to carry out a coup due to regional and international focus on Zimbabwe and coupled with that, the southern African region did not have history of military takeovers.
"Army generals do not represent the whole army. There are young recruits and when it comes to a coup, do you think these young ones would stand and fight against the people of Zimbabwe? it may not be possible," she said.
Military leaders have publicly said they would not support anyone besides Mugabe, leading observers and parliamentarians to claim that there was a soft coup in Zimbabwe.
But the secretary-general of the MDC led by Welshman Ncube, said this was the mindset of people who were benefiting from the status quo and were afraid of any form of change.
Misihairabwi-Mushonga, however, conceded that security sector reform remained one of the outstanding issues that had been referred to the facilitator, South African President Jacob Zuma.
"As negotiators, we have agreed on 80 to 85% of the issues, but there are some things like security sector reform that we have had to refer to the facilitator," she said.
The MDC secretary-general said while the involvement of the military in politics seemed like a new thing -- it had been a burning issue since 2002, when former army boss, the late general Vitalis Zvinavashe, on the eve of the election, infamously declared that the military would not salute anyone without liberation war credentials.
This was interpreted to mean that the army implied that even if Morgan Tsvangirai had won the election, the military would not allow him to assume power.
"What the Nyikayarambas are saying goes back to 2002, it's nothing new and this is an issue that the regional mediation team is looking at," she said.
Recently, Defence Forces chief of staff, Major General Martin Chedondo, stirred a storm when he said soldiers must be involved in national politics, while Major-General Douglas Nyikayaramba, also declared that no one would rule the country without any revolutionary credentials, drawing criticism from United Nations Human Rights chief, Navi Pillay, who said the military should remain in the barracks.
Misihairabwi-Mushonga said Zuma's anticipated visit had since been put on the back burner, as negotiators had nothing to report back, since they were still trying to conclude the constitution-making process.
She said the generals did not have the capacity to carry out a coup in the event that President Robert Mugabe lost elections.
"They can wish it, but they can't. Let us call their bluff," Misihairabwi-Mushonga said at the Quill Club in Harare on Friday.
"Those are just scare tactics. it's disempowering because from there, people would be scared to go and vote, thinking the result is predetermined."
She said the army did not have the capacity to carry out a coup due to regional and international focus on Zimbabwe and coupled with that, the southern African region did not have history of military takeovers.
"Army generals do not represent the whole army. There are young recruits and when it comes to a coup, do you think these young ones would stand and fight against the people of Zimbabwe? it may not be possible," she said.
Military leaders have publicly said they would not support anyone besides Mugabe, leading observers and parliamentarians to claim that there was a soft coup in Zimbabwe.
Misihairabwi-Mushonga, however, conceded that security sector reform remained one of the outstanding issues that had been referred to the facilitator, South African President Jacob Zuma.
"As negotiators, we have agreed on 80 to 85% of the issues, but there are some things like security sector reform that we have had to refer to the facilitator," she said.
The MDC secretary-general said while the involvement of the military in politics seemed like a new thing -- it had been a burning issue since 2002, when former army boss, the late general Vitalis Zvinavashe, on the eve of the election, infamously declared that the military would not salute anyone without liberation war credentials.
This was interpreted to mean that the army implied that even if Morgan Tsvangirai had won the election, the military would not allow him to assume power.
"What the Nyikayarambas are saying goes back to 2002, it's nothing new and this is an issue that the regional mediation team is looking at," she said.
Recently, Defence Forces chief of staff, Major General Martin Chedondo, stirred a storm when he said soldiers must be involved in national politics, while Major-General Douglas Nyikayaramba, also declared that no one would rule the country without any revolutionary credentials, drawing criticism from United Nations Human Rights chief, Navi Pillay, who said the military should remain in the barracks.
Misihairabwi-Mushonga said Zuma's anticipated visit had since been put on the back burner, as negotiators had nothing to report back, since they were still trying to conclude the constitution-making process.
Source - standard
