Chiwenga's stupidity is now a major concern for Zanu PF and the Military!

All is not well between Zanu PF and the military…

Two days after the Zanu PF conference in Bulawayo earlier this month, a war of texts began between the military and political - a sure sign of widespread tension. Although it is not clear who was involved in sending the messages back and forth, it is likely that some of the messages emanated from younger Zanu PF members who are said to be trying to discredit the military and cause a division between the military and Zanu PF senior politicians. According to high-level sources within both the military and Zanu PF, the younger Zanu PF generation is increasingly frustrated amongst other things by the fact that Zanu PF elders no longer consult them on matters related to party strategy and business dealings. The top echelons of the military and Zanu PF elders are keeping them away from accessing the country's wealth, especially in the minerals sector where there seem to be strict controls on who has the right to get involved in deals. Other text messages look like they came from people supporting a political role for the military after Mugabe's death. This is hardly surprising – we have seen several army bosses, including Chiwenga, taking evening classes at the University of Zimbabwe, which looks suspiciously like efforts to find a back-door way penetrate the civilian life of power politics.

The emperor without clothes!

Just as the two army personnel claimed when they briefed US diplomats about the state of affairs in the Zimbabwean military (documented for us by the infamous WikiLeaks), key individuals in the former ruling party apparently share the concern that the army boss, Constantine Chiwenga, is a man with a little idea of what the military should be doing. Many people are angered by the gall of whoever was behind the text messaging initiative but equally many are amused by the sheer cheek of the messages about Chiwenga's stupidity and the greed of senior officers. There is a growing trend within

Zanu PF to recognise that Chiwenga has become a serious liability as head of the army and that the army is weaker due to his poor leadership. Seen as a political appointee, Chiwenga is said to be most concerned about his personal wealth and has used his influence to corrupt several army officers at the expense of the military as an institution. Many people in the army and in Zanu PF blame him for the tensions between the two, and predictions are that this will only get worse in future. It is rumoured that tensions are such that Chiwenga can no longer afford himself the luxury of trusting his lieutenants. To make matters worse for him, he seems to be afraid of the two high ranking officials who spoke of his stupidity and arrogance to the Americans, believing them to be well connected to the grassroots soldiers, who are daring him to discipline them.

Greedy relationships at the expense of the nations' military

Officers in the army are worried about the politicisation of the armed forces and corruption of the leadership. My sources tell me they are uncomfortable and even go as far as to express doubts about whether the army has got what it takes to defend itself in case of a foreign invasion. If the country cannot pay for or manage its state airline, it can hardly be expected to afford new military equipment. Most of the funds from diamond mining and sales are said to be disappearing in the pockets of a few individuals while state institutions like the military are left to take the knock. Friends in Zimbabwe report regular sightings of military personnel trying to catch lifts from private cars – a clear sign of limited resources. Within the military, many now worry that if well-equipped armies like Libya could not stand the heat, what might happen to the Zimbabwean army which is not able to even feed its soldiers.

This has been a bad year for dictators and if I were Mugabe, I would be very afraid. Merry Christmas to all and see you in 2012