We Were Right: The Jestina Mukoko Insurgency Case Is Still Alive

Morgan Tsvangirai meets with the SADC Troika Ministerial Team (and Secretay-General Tomaz Salamao) in his offices at the Presidential Office Building, Munhumutapa in Harare on 30 October. Tsvangirai's close relative and an MDC-T intelligence department worker, Pascal Gwezere, has now appeared in court after being "abducted" on 29 October from his home by armed men. As we explained in a previous article on this blog, he now faces charges of stealing weapons and training to overthrow "The Solution".

Harare, Zimbabwe, 03 November 2009

As we revealed on 28 October as reports of the abduction of Pascal Gwezere echoed across Zimbabwe, the man indeed now stands accused of plotting to overthrow Mugabe and stealing arms of war from Pomona Barracks, a military camp from where weapons disappeared a couple of weeks back.

Even though some remained skeptical, what we revealed in the story, published on this blog on 28 October has now been proved correct. Gwezere yesterday surfaced in court where, besides the charge of stealing weapons from Pomona Barracks, he was also accused of having received military training in Uganda in 1999.

Despite MDC-T officials giving him a title that he does not have in actual fact, the truth of the matter is as I stated in the article referred to above: Gwezere works in the intelligence department of the MDC-T. It is also not in dispute that he was in Uganda in 1999 for two months or so.

It is doubtful, however, (highly unlikely, in fact), that he got military training while there. Perhaps he was simply trained to be able to carry out his job and in preparation for a role in government, since at that time, the MDC believed that it was going to remove Mugabe through elections and start running the country itself.

But the fact that the issue of Uganda is being brought up reveals an aspect of the current goings-on within government and exposes one of the main reasons for Morgan Tsvangirai's baffling "disengagement". He knew this was coming. He also knows that the insurgency case is still alive as far as Mugabe and his hardliners are concerned.

A complete breakdown in the government of national unity of Inclusive Government now would also see the law being thrown out of the window, Jestina Mukoko, Ghandi Mudzingwa and others close to Tsvangirai  re-arrested and charged with training insurgents.

Mugabe has pointedly informed Morgan Tsvangirai, apparently, that "some people" are convinced that the MDC-T was trying to stage a coup from within government and this is why they are pushing for the government to collapse in order to eject the opposition party from the corridors of power.

The so-called hardliners are determined to ensure the destruction of the MDC-T before any election is held in Zimbabwe. Whether the charges stick or not is immaterial to them. Thew object is to stage mass arrests one Tsvangirai is out of government and so paralyse the MDC so that there will be no one to campaign within the country in the event of an election. Anyone who dares to be active will be nabbed and thrown in with the others.

Mugabe would then have a clear run at the presidency and at parliament. That is what this is all about.

Gwezere is now said to have connived with one "Getrude" and some soldiers who are said to be still on the run. The prosecutors say that on 20 October 2009, Gwezere and Getrude took away the arms from One Engineers' Support Armoury and went with them to an "unknown destination" (even after all the torture Gwezere is said to have gone through, he still can not tell them where the arms are? Does this sound like he was the person behind the robbery?) . 

I doubt that the soldiers said to be on the run really are.  Rest assured that, should the matter go to trial, those same soldiers who are said to be on the run now will suddenly surface and turn state witnesses. That would be the end of Gwezere. Nail. Coffin. You get the picture.

At least that is the plan. Whether it succeeds or not remains to be seen. The new crop of judges in Zimbabwe are also now proving to be a thorn in the side of Mugabe and his hardliners, sticking to the proper conduct of the law and not being swayed by sectarian interests within ZANU PF.

It is for this reason that Morgan Tsvangirai will indeed come back into cabinet and drop this "disengagement" thing. He and his party are safer in office (although not in power) than they are out of it.