Opinion / Columnist
UN and AU should intervene to force Mnangagwa and his military junta out
28 Mar 2018 at 07:30hrs | Views
As each day passes, the international community in general, and Zimbabweans in particular, are becoming more and more aware that what happened in November 2017 was not a peaceful transition of power - when the military intervened to remove then president Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
The events that the world watched unfolding in Zimbabwe last year were the making of nothing but a classic coup d'etat, and as such, should be treated like wise.
It is quite bewildering as to how the world could categorize these events as anything else, but a coup - considering what we all witnessed, as we were glued to our television screens.
Maybe, the intentional community forgot these events, and a quick reminder is desperately needed.
Contrary to the new Zimbabwe president's - Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa - recent article in the United States (US) media - what started were not people converging onto the streets of Harare calling for Mugabe's resignation, but the military driving tanks into the streets, and holding the then president hostage.
In fact, the nation woke up the very next day, to be gripped by uncertainty and fear, at the sight of an army general (current foreign affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo) having taken over the national broadcaster - telling the population that Mugabe and his family were being 'kept safely' somewhere.
We were all told, albeit, with batted breath, that the military had intervened only to 'remove criminals' that had surrounded Mugabe.
At that time, they referred to Mugabe as the 'head of state and government, and Commander in Chief of the defence forces' - giving the impression that all was well.
However, this perception was soon to be dealt a heavy blow, when a few hours later, the South African broadcaster announced that the military was holding Mugabe under house arrest, and the then president Jacob Zuma had talked to him.
At that moment, it became abundantly clear that a military coup was in progress, and that what the generals had been telling us on Zimbabwe television was nothing short of a lie.
In fact, a few days before these events, top generals from the defence forces - led by their commander Constatino Chiwenga, now vice president - had been in the international media threatening to intervene should Mugabe not heed their demands in an issue that was purely an internal ruling ZANU PF crisis.
They kept their promise!
The masses where only encouraged to come onto the streets after it had become apparent that the international community would frown upon any coup d'etat, and the military's allies in ZANU PF decided to play the 'people's power card', by mobilising massive crowds to call for the president's resignation.
At any other time - as had so often occurred numerous times before - any mass demonstration by the people for Mugabe to resign, no matter how peaceful, would have been met with brute force by the same military, which was now pretending to be 'standing by the masses'.
The only difference was that, this time, the military was the one behind the supposed 'uprising', so as to camouflage their coup d'etat.
As much as other processes followed, such as the ruling ZANU PF central committee meeting, which 'formally' resolved for Mugabe to resign, or else parliamentary impeachment proceeedings would commence - the bottom line was that, the military intervened first, and forced the processes that followed.
Prior to the military intervention, ZANU PF was deeply divided between those aligned to Mnangagwa, and those for the former First Lady Grace - so how did those divisions so suddenly disappear soon after the coup?
It is clear that anyone who dared stand in the way of this coup was threatened with the wrath of the military.
As such, had the constitutional processes been undertaken first, the military would not have managed to force Mugabe to resign.
Therefore, let the world not be fooled, there was a military coup in Zimbabwe in November 2017, and no amount of sanctifying it will work.
I was one of the most vocal Mugabe critics - as I voiced against his massively tyrannical rule - but, what I will never stand for is the unconstitutional removal of a regime - no matter how evil it was.
This sets a very bad precedence, as the military will feel justified to repeat this.
Let us not forget that the military made it very clear some years ago that they would never salute anyone who did not fight in the 1970s liberation struggle.
They fulfilled this promise, as they brutalized the entire population soon after Mugabe lost the 2008 presidential elections to the opposition's Morgan Tsvangirai - leading to the formation of a Government of National Unity, after the opposition's pulling out of an ill-fated run-off election, due to the army violence.
Similarly, the coup in November 2017 was codenamed 'operation restore legacy', which meant that they were removing anyone they believed was standing against those who fought in the liberation struggle' from ruling this country.
Thus, as this is the modus operandi of the military, what is to stop them from staging another coup should the opposition win the 2018 elections?
If the international community does not act now, by launching their own intervention, in order to stop this junta, then Zimbabwe is doomed.
If the world is serious about Zimbabwe being open for business, and want to see their investments secured and safeguarded, then they need to intervene in the country's situation before it gets out of hand.
Mnangagwa - like this predecessor Mugabe - can smile and pretend to be democratic when the situation is on their side, but once they sense that their hold on power is threatened, they quickly change their colours and become vicious wolves.
If this military junta senses a defeat in this year's elections, they will not hesitate to kill - and kill they will.
The international community can not afford a 'wait and see' attitude, as that will be too late for the people of Zimbabwe - and as such, have to intervene now -so as to put an end to this junta.
History has already proven what these people are capable of, especially when their grip on power is threatened, and will definitely do it again...and again.
Kudakwashe Shaddy Marangwanda is a UK based Zimbabwean activist
The events that the world watched unfolding in Zimbabwe last year were the making of nothing but a classic coup d'etat, and as such, should be treated like wise.
It is quite bewildering as to how the world could categorize these events as anything else, but a coup - considering what we all witnessed, as we were glued to our television screens.
Maybe, the intentional community forgot these events, and a quick reminder is desperately needed.
Contrary to the new Zimbabwe president's - Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa - recent article in the United States (US) media - what started were not people converging onto the streets of Harare calling for Mugabe's resignation, but the military driving tanks into the streets, and holding the then president hostage.
In fact, the nation woke up the very next day, to be gripped by uncertainty and fear, at the sight of an army general (current foreign affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo) having taken over the national broadcaster - telling the population that Mugabe and his family were being 'kept safely' somewhere.
We were all told, albeit, with batted breath, that the military had intervened only to 'remove criminals' that had surrounded Mugabe.
At that time, they referred to Mugabe as the 'head of state and government, and Commander in Chief of the defence forces' - giving the impression that all was well.
However, this perception was soon to be dealt a heavy blow, when a few hours later, the South African broadcaster announced that the military was holding Mugabe under house arrest, and the then president Jacob Zuma had talked to him.
At that moment, it became abundantly clear that a military coup was in progress, and that what the generals had been telling us on Zimbabwe television was nothing short of a lie.
In fact, a few days before these events, top generals from the defence forces - led by their commander Constatino Chiwenga, now vice president - had been in the international media threatening to intervene should Mugabe not heed their demands in an issue that was purely an internal ruling ZANU PF crisis.
They kept their promise!
The masses where only encouraged to come onto the streets after it had become apparent that the international community would frown upon any coup d'etat, and the military's allies in ZANU PF decided to play the 'people's power card', by mobilising massive crowds to call for the president's resignation.
At any other time - as had so often occurred numerous times before - any mass demonstration by the people for Mugabe to resign, no matter how peaceful, would have been met with brute force by the same military, which was now pretending to be 'standing by the masses'.
The only difference was that, this time, the military was the one behind the supposed 'uprising', so as to camouflage their coup d'etat.
As much as other processes followed, such as the ruling ZANU PF central committee meeting, which 'formally' resolved for Mugabe to resign, or else parliamentary impeachment proceeedings would commence - the bottom line was that, the military intervened first, and forced the processes that followed.
Prior to the military intervention, ZANU PF was deeply divided between those aligned to Mnangagwa, and those for the former First Lady Grace - so how did those divisions so suddenly disappear soon after the coup?
It is clear that anyone who dared stand in the way of this coup was threatened with the wrath of the military.
As such, had the constitutional processes been undertaken first, the military would not have managed to force Mugabe to resign.
Therefore, let the world not be fooled, there was a military coup in Zimbabwe in November 2017, and no amount of sanctifying it will work.
I was one of the most vocal Mugabe critics - as I voiced against his massively tyrannical rule - but, what I will never stand for is the unconstitutional removal of a regime - no matter how evil it was.
This sets a very bad precedence, as the military will feel justified to repeat this.
Let us not forget that the military made it very clear some years ago that they would never salute anyone who did not fight in the 1970s liberation struggle.
They fulfilled this promise, as they brutalized the entire population soon after Mugabe lost the 2008 presidential elections to the opposition's Morgan Tsvangirai - leading to the formation of a Government of National Unity, after the opposition's pulling out of an ill-fated run-off election, due to the army violence.
Similarly, the coup in November 2017 was codenamed 'operation restore legacy', which meant that they were removing anyone they believed was standing against those who fought in the liberation struggle' from ruling this country.
Thus, as this is the modus operandi of the military, what is to stop them from staging another coup should the opposition win the 2018 elections?
If the international community does not act now, by launching their own intervention, in order to stop this junta, then Zimbabwe is doomed.
If the world is serious about Zimbabwe being open for business, and want to see their investments secured and safeguarded, then they need to intervene in the country's situation before it gets out of hand.
Mnangagwa - like this predecessor Mugabe - can smile and pretend to be democratic when the situation is on their side, but once they sense that their hold on power is threatened, they quickly change their colours and become vicious wolves.
If this military junta senses a defeat in this year's elections, they will not hesitate to kill - and kill they will.
The international community can not afford a 'wait and see' attitude, as that will be too late for the people of Zimbabwe - and as such, have to intervene now -so as to put an end to this junta.
History has already proven what these people are capable of, especially when their grip on power is threatened, and will definitely do it again...and again.
Kudakwashe Shaddy Marangwanda is a UK based Zimbabwean activist
Source - Kudakwashe Sheddy Marangwanda
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