Brigadier General Douglas Nyikayaramba is an 'idiot': Tongai Matutu

Zanu-PF legislators yesterday reiterated that Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba was entitled to air his opinions as enshrined in the constitution.

They said it was important to discuss issues of national security that he raised in his utterances.
However, there was near chaos after Indeginisation, Youth Development and Empowerment Deputy Minister Tongai Matutu branded Brig-Gen Nyikayaramba an "idiot."

Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa stood up and raised a point of order that Brig Gen Nyikayaramba was not an MP and therefore could not defend himself against the accusations.

"There are two points to that, first the language is unparliamentary and Brig Gen Nyikayaramba is not a member of this House to respond to that," Mnangagwa said.

Speaker of the House Assembly Lovemore Moyo later asked Deputy Minister Matutu to withdraw his statement before debate could continue. Deputy Minister Matutu withdrew the statement.

The motion was moved by Mbizo representative, Mr Settlement Chikwinya (MDC-T) to condemn Brig-Gen Nyikayaramba and call on service chiefs to publicly affirm their loyalty to Zimbabwe's Constitution.

Contributing to the debate, Mberengwa East representative Makhosini Hlongwane, said freedom of speech was at the core of the country's democratic values.

"The state of discourse should not be on Douglas Nyikayaramba, it should be on the national security of our country. The idea of free speech is at the core of our democracy and some of the views raised by Douglas Nyikayaramba were his personal views.

"The idea that somebody has become a soldier does not take away their right to be Zimbabweans and their right to free speech," he said.

Hlongwane said others had raised the same issues Brig-Gen Nyikayaramba was talking about in the past 10 years without any concern.

He said even United States commanders made political statements and said US General Mike Mullen had publicly differed with President Barack Obama on issue of draw down of troops in Afghanistan without any noise being raised.

Mhondoro-Ngezi representative, Bright Matonga, said Parliament had more pressing issues to debate than Brig-Gen Nyikayaramba's statements.

"There are more important issues, which we should discuss as Zimbabweans like the issue of electricity for example," he said.

However, MDC-T representative for Zaka Central Mr Harrison Mudzuri (MDC-T) said the public were concerned by the treasonous utterances by the service chiefs.

"People of Zimbabwe are concerned because the treasonous utterances by service chiefs, the CIO and the police. People are worrying whether Zimbabwe is now a police state whether the junta is now the de-facto leaders of this country," he said.

Mr Mudzuri said the service chiefs had a negative perception of the MDC-T and were refusing to salute Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Felix Sibanda Magwegwe MDC-T MP, said the service chiefs should resign and take up politics full time if they so wish.

Brig-Gen Nyikayaramba said because of his liberation war experiences, he would not serve under the MDC-T. He said the military viewed PM Tsvangirai as a national security threat than a political threat.