Why Tsvangirai Is Afraid

Jestina Mukoko at her first release into hospital. She was later re-arrested and then again given bail. But the charges still stand and the trial dates have been set. This case dovetails with that of Roy Bennett, which Mugabe's men seek to expand. Which begs the question: Will Bennett actually ever be sworn in?

On April 20 this year, a Monday, Robert Mugabe took Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai into his "confidence".

In December last year, I told you that Mugabe's Plan B, in case Tsvangirai agreed to join government, was to isolate the Prime Minister, to get him stranded in office. The idea is to so paralyse the MDC-T with the charges of insurgency and banditry that the Prime Minister will find himself without a party backing him.

What Mugabe told Tsvangirai was that some of his "hardline" people were talking "nonsense" about him (Tsvangirai) being involved in the alleged banditry plots. He asked the Prime Minister to leave them to him, he should get ahead with the job of restoring order to the economy".

Evidently, it was the genesis of the Prime Minister's new-found faith in the old dictator, whom he feels now is actually "protecting" him from the hardline elements of ZANU PF.

It appears the Prime Minister is now too afraid to step out of the echoing corridors of power because he feels safer there. By now it is clear that he should not be expecting to do anything of substance while part of the Exclusive Government. He is Excluded from real decision-making, excluded from real power and influence, unable to fire even a simple non-performing civil servant, Gideon Gono.

Meantime, pastors are being abducted. Jestina Mukoko, Gandi Mudzingwa, Andresen Manyere (he of no media house, according to George Charamba's public statements) all still face trial for plotting to topple the dictator.

MPs are being arrested, some for violence (ten months in prison, with hard labour) and others for rape and so on.

Roy Bennett (when is he being sworn in?) still faces weapons charges. These are being built up into terrorism charges and the abduction of the pastor, who also counselled victims of violence in the June one-man run-off, is part of this escalation.

ZANU PF is still pursuing with the utmost vigour the insurgency/banditry case.

The pastor is being roped in because there isn't enough evidence yet. Somebody had the bright idea that pastors are people other people confess to. As a Christian, it would be hard for him to tell tall tales about anything.

So, get hold of him and ask him what those he ministered to told him about their actvities. (You will recall me explaining to you in December last year that the Mugabe Government position was that Zimbabwe Peace Project, the organisation for which Jestina Mukoko works, was providing safe houses to the people who were due to leave for training in Botswana).

This is the trail they are after.

It would be legitimate to wonder right now if Roy Bennett will ever be sworn in when things like this are being done for the state to strengthen its case against him?

And it would also be legitimate to ask again why the Prime Minister seems so very afraid of confronting the hardline elements who are still pursuing the charges that his party was bent on training people to remove Mugabe by force of arms?