'ZDF a professional entity,' says Mutsvangwa - with second to none vote rigging and coup experience

Zanu PF is a party of ruthless thugs and time and time again when the party felt its hold on power was under threat it came out with all guns blazing, without a care in the world who was watching. Well the world was watching and the world is not going to be fooled by the party bare-faced attempts to portray itself as anything other than a party of ruthless thugs.

No one will be fooled by President Mnangagwa's advisor, Chris Mutsvangwa's, pathetic attempts to deny the Zimbabwe National Army is nothing but a department within the political party Zanu PF; there to do the party's dirty bidding during elections and, like every other section of the party, was caught up in the factional war that has torn the party into shreds in the last three years!

"Contrary to reports that were attributed to me, that the army would ensure an electoral victory for ZanuPF, its a lie," said Mutsvangwa.

"I said there was a team which helped to undo the dynastic tendencies of Mugabe. Then I promised the president that we would deliver an election victory to him and that specifically excludes the army because the army had played a role in the ascendancy to power of the new president.

"The army is a professional entity which doesn't get involved in election campaigns and I urge all journalists to report accurately."

Mutsvangwa was trying to counter his statement at the Zanu PF Special Congress where he said the Army would help deliver an election victory for the party. People like Mutsvangwa have excellent memory, he remembers every detail of the liberation struggle, for example. But, like most other Zanu PF thugs, he also have a very selective memory in that he cannot remember the pivotal role ZNA has played in past Zanu PF's electoral victories. Former President Mugabe remembered and he thanked the Army generals, the other securocrats and the war veterans for "rescuing him and the party" from electoral defeat in 2008 in operation "Mavhotera papi!" (Whom did you vote for!).

The Zanu PF dictatorship had deployed the Army, Police and CIO in much the same way it deployed the party loyalists war veterans to punish the civilians for daring to reject Mugabe and Zanu PF in the March 2008 vote. Mugabe had lost the vote to Tsvangirai's staggering 73%. The regime had connived to have the vote reduce to 47% to force a run-off and then use violence to overturn the Tsvangirai's 73% into an 84% Mugabe victory.

"What was accomplished by the bullet cannot be undone by the ballot!" Mugabe had boasted, encouraging the violence and thuggery.

The Army and the other securocrats have played a major role helping Mugabe and Zanu PF remain in power but in 2008 they went the extra mile and staged what many agree was a coup to stop Tsvangirai and MDC ruling the country. What Mugabe did not realise at the time was this was not going to be their last coup much less that he himself will be the target of the next coup.
 
The rogue war veterans under Chris Mutsvangwa and, before him, Jabulani Sibanda have been Zanu PF's storm troopers who have done the threatening and harassing of voters to ensure the party's electoral victories. The more systematic harassment, beatings and murderers have been carried out by ZNA, Police and CIO.

The November 2008 coup; "Operation Restore Legacy", as one of the coup leaders, General Chiwenga, dubbed it; was about restoring State power back in the hands of the Join Operation Command (JOC), a Junta comprising the top brass in the Army, Police and CIO, Mugabe, Mnangagwa and one or two others. Mugabe had tried to handover power to his wife and her G40 faction and hence the need of the coup to force him to resign.
After risking all to restore JOC's iron grip on power, some of the coup plotters have just secured for themselves cushy position in President Mnangagwa's administration, it will be naïve of these individuals to then risk losing that power by holding free, fair and credible election. Mutsvangwa can say what he like but the whole world knows that the Army, Police, CIO and the war veterans will be out campaigning for Zanu PF in next year's elections.

If Zanu PF's hold on power is threaten as happened in 2008, then the nation can be certain there will be operation "Mavhotera papi!" mark 2! Zanu PF is a party of thugs and they will stop at nothing to make sure the party does not lose power.

"Zanu PF ichatonga! Igotonga!" (Zanu PF will rule! And rule!) as President Mnangagwa has often said.
What he and the rest in the party will be doing is deploy the Army, Police, CIO and the war veterans as before only this time the party must do everything possible to cover the thugs' tracks.   

Of course, Zanu PF is not just relying on the Army and other thugs to deliver election victory, it many other vote rigging activities such as the Chiefs and other traditional leaders who have already received their down payments for their contribution. The 226 Chiefs country wide will each get a new Isuzu twin cab truck and in return they will be expected to carol and herd villagers to vote for the party.

The real challenge for Zanu PF is not so much how to rig next year's election but rather how to conceal all these vote rigging activities for the party to claim the election was free and fair and get away with it. If the international community, especially SADC, should dismiss the election as a sham, just as they did following the 2008 elections, then Zanu PF rule will come to a crashing end. While in 2008 the regime was given a lifeline by being allowed go into the GNU; the party will be given no such meaningful role this time. The world knows that Zanu PF is a party of ruthless thugs who cannot be trusted.  
 
"The army is a professional entity," said Mutsvangwa. Yeah right! Since when has vote rigging and staging coups become the most highly priced relevant experience for soldiers!