News / National
WikiLeaks is of little significance says Chiwenga
16 Oct 2011 at 05:28hrs | Views
ZIMBABWE Defence Forces Commander General Constantine Chiwenga has ruled out disciplinary action against two senior army officers implicated in American diplomatic cables leaked by whistle-blower website WikiLeaks, saying the authenticity of the reports was questionable.
In an interview last week, General Chiwenga said Major-General Fidelis Satuku and Brigadier-General Herbert Chingono will not be punished over reports from "imperialist United States embassy officials" whose motive might be to destabilise the security sector.
"The were made by United States embassy officials; they might have had an imperialist agenda," he said.
"To the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, WikiLeaks is of little significance. It would, therefore, be improper for an institution such as ours to make a decision based on statements that were relayed by United States embassy officials who could have been pursuing certain agendas."
According to the cables, Major-General Satuku and Brigadier-General Chingono met US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Charles Ray in Harare on January 5 and 6 last year.
They allegedly told him that their boss was a "political general who was hard working, but had very little military expertise". They also said, it was alleged, that he had a penchant for making political, rather than professional military, decisions.
"The Commander of the Defence Forces, General Constantine Chiwenga, is a political general who works hard but has very little military experience or expertise," reads part of the cable.
"A political commissar before 1980, he has only attended one mid-level training course, which he did not complete. If given a choice between a military and political issue, he routinely defaults to the political."
General Chiwenga told The Sunday Mail the ZDF would not take action likely to compromise the country's security. He said the two officers were crucial members of the force who ably executed their mandate.
"The ZDF is a strategic institution that cannot afford to make any irrational decisions. Our role is to defend the nation and we cannot afford to be distracted from this duty by the works of foreign forces.
The two generals are key components of the force; they have served us well. We cannot afford to treat them in an irrational manner because of something that cannot be verified."
He said Ambassador Ray could be using the secret dispatches as tools in Washington's "security sector reform" agenda. He also dismissed reports that the two generals would be court-martialled.
He said: "Such media reports are just like a storm in a teacup. From a defence point of view, we have managed to make the country so democratic and peaceful that people now have the freedom to say whatever they want to say."
Political analyst Dr Lawton Hikwa said political parties should be wary of the cables.
"Political parties risk destroying their institutions if they believe everything that is said in the WikiLeaks cables," he said.
"The cables are a personal summation of what has been gathered by a United States embassy official. So, it is possible that facts can be misrepresented because almost everything that is said is a personal opinion of the US official. They are not verbatim recordings. It is possible that they may also wish to pursue certain agendas and fabricate the statements for this purpose."
Midlands State University Department of Politics and Public Management chairman Dr Mark Chingono said the cables were not entirely accurate.
"The WikiLeaks cables are not 100 percent accurate.
"It is highly likely that the statements could have been exaggerated. Essentially, the revelations have gaps and they leave so much room for bias.
"It would be ill-advised to make major decisions based on them. One needs a broad range of sources in order to make major decisions."
Dr Chingono said Zimbabwe should, however, not dismiss the cables outright.
"There is no smoke without fire. The reaction of the people implicated in the cables is proof that something was said even though it may not have been portrayed in the exact context," he said.
WikiLeaks sparked worldwide debate after it began releasing the secret cables last year. The dispatches contain uncensored information from American embassies across the globe. Although the saga has attracted keen interest, the authenticity of the dispatches continues to be questioned. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange maintains the documents are genuine.
Last week, Zanu-PF indicated it will investigate the origins and authenticity of the revelations after some of its members engaged American embassy officials on sensitive issues without clearance.
The MDC-T also discussed the matter at a heated national executive council meeting in Harare on Tuesday. Some party members want heads to roll after some senior officials were implicated.
MDC-T Harare province recently suspended its spokesperson, Senator Obert Gutu, who is also Justice and Legal Affairs Deputy Minister, on allegations that he described his boss, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, as a weak leader. The suspension was, however, lifted after it became apparent that secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti and organising secretary Mr Nelson Chamisa would also face the axe over the cables.
In an interview last week, General Chiwenga said Major-General Fidelis Satuku and Brigadier-General Herbert Chingono will not be punished over reports from "imperialist United States embassy officials" whose motive might be to destabilise the security sector.
"The were made by United States embassy officials; they might have had an imperialist agenda," he said.
"To the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, WikiLeaks is of little significance. It would, therefore, be improper for an institution such as ours to make a decision based on statements that were relayed by United States embassy officials who could have been pursuing certain agendas."
According to the cables, Major-General Satuku and Brigadier-General Chingono met US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Charles Ray in Harare on January 5 and 6 last year.
They allegedly told him that their boss was a "political general who was hard working, but had very little military expertise". They also said, it was alleged, that he had a penchant for making political, rather than professional military, decisions.
"The Commander of the Defence Forces, General Constantine Chiwenga, is a political general who works hard but has very little military experience or expertise," reads part of the cable.
"A political commissar before 1980, he has only attended one mid-level training course, which he did not complete. If given a choice between a military and political issue, he routinely defaults to the political."
General Chiwenga told The Sunday Mail the ZDF would not take action likely to compromise the country's security. He said the two officers were crucial members of the force who ably executed their mandate.
"The ZDF is a strategic institution that cannot afford to make any irrational decisions. Our role is to defend the nation and we cannot afford to be distracted from this duty by the works of foreign forces.
The two generals are key components of the force; they have served us well. We cannot afford to treat them in an irrational manner because of something that cannot be verified."
He said Ambassador Ray could be using the secret dispatches as tools in Washington's "security sector reform" agenda. He also dismissed reports that the two generals would be court-martialled.
He said: "Such media reports are just like a storm in a teacup. From a defence point of view, we have managed to make the country so democratic and peaceful that people now have the freedom to say whatever they want to say."
Political analyst Dr Lawton Hikwa said political parties should be wary of the cables.
"Political parties risk destroying their institutions if they believe everything that is said in the WikiLeaks cables," he said.
"The cables are a personal summation of what has been gathered by a United States embassy official. So, it is possible that facts can be misrepresented because almost everything that is said is a personal opinion of the US official. They are not verbatim recordings. It is possible that they may also wish to pursue certain agendas and fabricate the statements for this purpose."
Midlands State University Department of Politics and Public Management chairman Dr Mark Chingono said the cables were not entirely accurate.
"The WikiLeaks cables are not 100 percent accurate.
"It is highly likely that the statements could have been exaggerated. Essentially, the revelations have gaps and they leave so much room for bias.
"It would be ill-advised to make major decisions based on them. One needs a broad range of sources in order to make major decisions."
Dr Chingono said Zimbabwe should, however, not dismiss the cables outright.
"There is no smoke without fire. The reaction of the people implicated in the cables is proof that something was said even though it may not have been portrayed in the exact context," he said.
WikiLeaks sparked worldwide debate after it began releasing the secret cables last year. The dispatches contain uncensored information from American embassies across the globe. Although the saga has attracted keen interest, the authenticity of the dispatches continues to be questioned. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange maintains the documents are genuine.
Last week, Zanu-PF indicated it will investigate the origins and authenticity of the revelations after some of its members engaged American embassy officials on sensitive issues without clearance.
The MDC-T also discussed the matter at a heated national executive council meeting in Harare on Tuesday. Some party members want heads to roll after some senior officials were implicated.
MDC-T Harare province recently suspended its spokesperson, Senator Obert Gutu, who is also Justice and Legal Affairs Deputy Minister, on allegations that he described his boss, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, as a weak leader. The suspension was, however, lifted after it became apparent that secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti and organising secretary Mr Nelson Chamisa would also face the axe over the cables.
Source - Sunday Mail
