ZIMBABWE Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander General Constantino
Chiwenga survived an attempted arrest by Zimbabwe Republic Police Support Unit
on his arrival from China at the Robert Mugabe International Airport on Sunday,
triggering a chain of events which led to the military effecting what has been
termed a soft coup.
According to sources close to the developments, a team from
the police’s Support Unit attempted to arrest Chiwenga upon his arrival, but
were stopped in their tracks by soldiers who had been deployed by the military
to shield the army boss from being apprehended.
The arrest was part of a plan to weed out former
vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s backers.
“The political fallout escalated when the police were given
instructions to arrest Chiwenga on arrival at the airport. A team was deployed
to arrest him, but Chiwenga had been informed of the plan by military
intelligence,” an official said.
“The military contemplated landing in Lusaka and driving
from Zambia to avoid arrest, among other options, before eventually settling on
flying straight into Harare.
“When Chiwenga came, a team of soldiers dressed in National
Handling Service (NHS) uniforms got inside the airport, while police positioned
themselves to seize him. The soldiers reacted and disarmed them. The soldiers
took off the NHS uniforms, revealing their camouflage fatigues, resulting in
the police officers fleeing.”
On Monday, Chiwenga then held a press conference at the
army’s KG VI headquarters in Harare warning the military could “step in” to
avert a potential crisis caused by infighting in Zanu PF.
Chiwenga ordered Mugabe “to stop reckless utterances by
politicians from the ruling party denigrating the military” and halt the
purging of people with a liberation background in Zanu PF.
He called for “counter-revolutionary elements” in the party
to be fished out and for the Zanu PF leadership to ensure that members go for
the extraordinary congress with an equal opportunity.
On Tuesday, Zanu PF youth leader Kudzanai Chipanga attacked
Chiwenga, labelling him a “rebel” and “criminal” who should be held accountable
for the country’s missing diamond revenue.
Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo later issued a
statement describing Chiwenga’s utterances as “treasonous”.
The military responded by moving equipment including tanks
into Harare after which it secured strategic places such as the Munhumutapa
Building, which houses the President and his deputies’ offices, Supreme Court,
Parliament and ZBC.
The army advanced to Mugabe’s residence at around 10:30pm
on Tuesday night before descending on key G40 faction members between 2am and
2:30am on Wednesday morning.
Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo, Central Intelligence
Organisation director of security Albert Ngulube, Mugabe’s head of security,
and Chipanga were detained, while Local Government minister, who is also Zanu
PF national political commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere and Higher Education
minister Jonathan Moyo survived a fierce shootout.
They later sought refuge at Mugabe’s house in Borrowdale. It
is not clear if police boss Augustine Chihuri has been seized.
The military also raided Chikurubi Support Unit base, where
they took control of the police armoury.
By 3am, the army had secured all vital locations, prompting
Major-General Sibusiso Moyo to announce an hour later that the army had stepped
in to defuse a potential crisis. He insisted that the army had not effected a
coup and would not harm Mugabe.
“We wish to assure the nation that His Excellency, the
President Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his family are safe and sound and their
security is guaranteed. We are only targeting criminals around him who are
committing crimes… that are causing social and economic suffering in the
country. As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the
situation will return to normalcy,” Moyo said.
“To both our people and the world beyond our borders: We
wish to make it abundantly clear that this is not a military takeover of
Government. What the Zimbabwe Defence Forces is doing is to pacify a
degenerating political, social and economic situation in our country which if
not addressed may result in violent conflict.”Zimbabwe Independent
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