REMEMBERING 27 JUNE

Emmerson Mnangagwa was the chief election agent for Zanu PF in the 2008 election which they had a campaign of violence under themes “Mugabe muOffice” “Operation Wakavhotera papi literally meaning Mugabe in the office and whom did you vote for.

By Leonard Koni

Not forgetting that the current President and his close military associates marshalled the beating of people.

That was a traumatic period for the whole nation. So many people were tortured, badly beaten or lost their beloved ones.

A terrible experience of our Zimbabwean history which should never be torelated again.

27 June 2008 presidential election run off was the most treacherous electoral episode under the late Robert Gabriel Mugabe after Gukurahundi.

The role of the military in Zanu PF is not new and just recently Patrick Chinamasa confirmed that the army plays a pivotal role in the revolutionary party.

In 2008 this unrepentant government set up the military and Zanu PF militia against MDC and opposition supporters murdering hundreds of people and some were displaced.

I vividly recall the unfashionable notorius Border Gezi popularly known as Green Bombers which was unleashed to cause mayhem in the opposition’s main strongholds. They asked whether one should get a short and long sleeve.

I was stationed at ZRP Borrowdale and one day I was doing some shopping at Sam Levy Village Shopping Centre and I wanted to buy the Daily News paper which was selling like hot cake during those days.

When I asked for the paper from the newspaper vendor
I was told to wait for about two minutes because he wanted to go and pick it from where he was hiding because the Green Bombers didnt want to see an imperialist paper selling in the streets.

27 June 2008 is an unforgettable day when the whole country was submerged into a blanket of fear. The day Baba Bona contested in a solo election when the late Morgan Richard Tsvangirayi refused to participate in that sham election.

I was deployed at Mt Pleasant High Command centre and everything was done within twenty four hours from voting, counting, verification and swearing in of the President. A plane was already on standby waiting to lift Uncle Bob to go to Egypt for an African Union meeting. Will the Zanu PF government apologise to these crimes they committed?

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Twitter – @Leokoni