President Robert Mugabe has failed over the past months to pay increasingly restive uniformed forces their salaries on time, is now on a charm offensive to win them over.
Mugabe has moved swiftly to pacify the country’s soldiers by dangling several carrots in their faces, as public anger over his alleged misrule continues to swell.
Military officials have reportedly also been sent to camps “to check on morale” and Mugabe sought to show the soldiers he was aware of their poor conditions of service.
In his address at the Zimbabwe Defences Forces’ Day commemorations, Mugabe yesterday presented an uncharacteristically short speech — 14 minutes — where he pledged to improve soldiers’ working and living conditions to ensure they do not join the spontaneous anti-government protests that have rocked his regime over the past two months.
“In this regard, the defence forces recently acquired a fleet of troop-carrying vehicles, staff cars and buses to facilitate the movement of personnel to and from their respective work stations,” he said.
“In addition, efforts are still underway to provide decent accommodation to members of the defence forces, under the Public Sector Investment Programme and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Benefit Fund.”
Mugabe, in the past two days, steered clear of controversial issues rocking his administration, among them the decision by disgruntled war veterans to turn their backs on him last month at a time opposition and civil society groups were piling pressure on him to step down.
The political fissures come as Mugabe is battling to contain fierce factional fights within his ruling Zanu PF party, where two distinct factions — G40, said to be loyal to First Lady Grace Mugabe and Team Lacoste, which reportedly pays allegiance to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa — are publicly jostling to sponsor his successor.
Mugabe’s extension of an olive branch to the soldiers appears aimed at keeping their loyalty, amid allegations they were dabbling in party politics.
The President last year lashed out at the military for meddling in the internal fights for control in Zanu PF.
The veteran leader told the Zanu PF annual conference in Victoria Falls that there were elements within the country’s army, police and intelligence, who had been sucked into the brutal succession war currently engulfing the ruling party.
“The situation we have now is untenable because we now get information that some in the army, police and intelligence are involved in factionalism. They are moving around telling people their chosen candidates. Let us stop that — it’s ruining the party,” he said then. Newsday
6 Replies to “Broke Mugabe Seeks To Appease Military”
Comments are closed.
I dont read Gukurahundi. I only read English. Thats why I hate Shonas. You assume everyone speaks Gukurahundi like you. I dont unite with a people who have no respect for national diversity!
I dont read Gukurahundi. I only read English. Thats why I hate Shonas. You assume everyone speaks Gukurahundi like you. I dont unite with a people who have no respect for national diversity!
Ko unovengereiko rudzi rwevaShona kudaro…the world z changing no more place for hate and tribal divisions let’s unite and work for one common goal …the land belongs to Almighty God..let’s love one another
Ko unovengereiko rudzi rwevaShona kudaro…the world z changing no more place for hate and tribal divisions let’s unite and work for one common goal …the land belongs to Almighty God..let’s love one another
You SETTLERS FROM CENTRAL AFRICA, Shona Gukurahundis rewrote our country’s history to suit your tribalistic 1979 ZANU Gukurahundi Grand Plans.
That document is in the public domain and you are now busy investigating the origins of the war veterans Communique, yet you have never bothered to do the same with this tribalistic document since 1979 – because you already know its origins. Its a ZANU PF document.
The campaign to change our country’s name is in full swing. Forget about the ‘secession’ or ‘separate country’ nonsense. That is not the real deal. Those are people just testing the waters – they are not serious.
Secession will never be the agenda; it was never on the agenda in ZAPU or ZIPRA since the 1950s – what is on the agenda is that very evil name “ZIMBABWE” that is tied to Gukurahundi, the 1979 Grand Plan and all the other evil Shona designs as reflected by the rewritten history our children are being taught at school since 1980.
This is a history meant to project the settler Shona people as the original inhabitants of our nation. This is false and come what may, in the long run, this will be changed. It might take the next 20 years or whatever, but in the end it shall happen.
We in Mthwakazi will never entertain a name for our country derived from a settler community. An arrogant one too at that.
As it is the case in East Africa regarding their decision to officially use the minority Swahili language, our position is that our nation’s name should be derived from the languages of the now minority indigenous San people of Southern Africa, not the Shona Bantu settlers from Central Africa. This is the fairest and most neutral position that will suit every tribe’s interests in the land between the two rivers. It will also go a long way in killing the Shona arrogance.
Chiwenga, get this from Mthwakazi now loud and clear. We will never settle for assimilation into the Shona identity camouflaged as national unity. You think by targeting our little Primary school children with your “andinzwi chindere” Shona Gukurahundi teachers in the name of “addressing teacher shortages” you will easily colonise and assimilate us??????
Chiwenga and your Mugabe and all your Shona Gukurahundi fellow travellers please just forget. You should not think you will live forever. The country shall live for ever, not you and all your evil designs!!
You SETTLERS FROM CENTRAL AFRICA, Shona Gukurahundis rewrote our country’s history to suit your tribalistic 1979 ZANU Gukurahundi Grand Plans.
That document is in the public domain and you are now busy investigating the origins of the war veterans Communique, yet you have never bothered to do the same with this tribalistic document since 1979 – because you already know its origins. Its a ZANU PF document.
The campaign to change our country’s name is in full swing. Forget about the ‘secession’ or ‘separate country’ nonsense. That is not the real deal. Those are people just testing the waters – they are not serious.
Secession will never be the agenda; it was never on the agenda in ZAPU or ZIPRA since the 1950s – what is on the agenda is that very evil name “ZIMBABWE” that is tied to Gukurahundi, the 1979 Grand Plan and all the other evil Shona designs as reflected by the rewritten history our children are being taught at school since 1980.
This is a history meant to project the settler Shona people as the original inhabitants of our nation. This is false and come what may, in the long run, this will be changed. It might take the next 20 years or whatever, but in the end it shall happen.
We in Mthwakazi will never entertain a name for our country derived from a settler community. An arrogant one too at that.
As it is the case in East Africa regarding their decision to officially use the minority Swahili language, our position is that our nation’s name should be derived from the languages of the now minority indigenous San people of Southern Africa, not the Shona Bantu settlers from Central Africa. This is the fairest and most neutral position that will suit every tribe’s interests in the land between the two rivers. It will also go a long way in killing the Shona arrogance.
Chiwenga, get this from Mthwakazi now loud and clear. We will never settle for assimilation into the Shona identity camouflaged as national unity. You think by targeting our little Primary school children with your “andinzwi chindere” Shona Gukurahundi teachers in the name of “addressing teacher shortages” you will easily colonise and assimilate us??????
Chiwenga and your Mugabe and all your Shona Gukurahundi fellow travellers please just forget. You should not think you will live forever. The country shall live for ever, not you and all your evil designs!!