BY DR MASIMBA MAVAZA| THE RETIRED army Gen Chiwenga returned from China after four months of plotting against his health. He thanked president Emerson Mnangagwa for giving him a second chance in life. Literally.
Zimbabwe’s apolitical retired army chief is seen as Zimbabwe’s best coup hedge as he has been a unifier and not a coup planner.
Anyone expecting changes to Zimbabwe will likely be disappointed, with the new chief expected to cool tensions with the government.
Soft-spoken and widely regarded as apolitical, Gen. Valerio Sibanda’s selection as head of Zimbabwe’s most powerful institution is seen as President ED Mnangagwa’s best defense against all and any military coup.
“While the president appointed him because of his disinterest in meddling in politics, under Sibanda’s leadership, the army is unlikely to reduce its entrenched dominance over security and domestic and foreign policy.
The fever which has gripped the nation that the retired General Chiwenga was in China plotting a coup is just a figment of their imagination.
The talk of a coup was and is a mischievous wish by the opposition. A coup is defined as a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government. It is normally done by the army.
A coup’s character is rapid and has an element of a surprise.
ZANU PF has ruled Zimbabwe for much of its history since it gained independence from the U.K. in 1980. But the army controls large parts of the economy and dominates foreign relations in a very diplomatic way. Retired general C G Chiwenga who has returned from China after months of near death sickness garnered praise for a crackdown on Mugabe and gangsters in the business along with securing the country as China invests millions of dollars in projects in Zimbabwe.
Historic distrust has always strained relations between the two branches of power. The armed forces are seen as one of Zimbabwe’s better-run institutions and often view politicians as corrupt and dysfunctional. To civilian leaders the military is largely unaccountable and has a history of removing democratically-elected leader who they feel is surrounded by criminals.
But analysts say Valerio Sibanda is not interested in politics. He “is a straight guy, he is a solider, he has no political ambitions,” said a retired general.
One of the factors unsaid that may have favored Sibanda’s appointment is that he was the only commander who opposed military intervention.
That’s why ED brought him up,
Sibanda will also have to navigate tensions within the masses.which have intensified in recent months after skirmishes with the police and the army.
The emphasis on the personalities of top generals is often misplaced,
The army as an institution has what can best be described as ‘group think,’ and that has changed only marginally since 1980 when ZANU PF first took power.
So with Valerio in place the excitement generated by people about a coup is honestly a dream never to come true.
The return of general Chiwenga retired does not mean anything in the regime change circles.
Chiwenga indeed was plotting a coup which was a coup against illness. He came back victorious fit and sound as strong as a fiddle but no regime change agenda.
To the contrary Chiwenga came back more grateful to ED for overseeing his treatment while in China. There is no way a coup can play in the public platform. People like Gambakwe should never be taken seriously in the political corridors he simply is an attention seeker who took after his uncle Jonathan Moyo.
In any country there is no sane soldier who will tell the world that he is planning a coup. A coup is a shock surprise which is rapid these two components must be in a coup for it to be a coup.
The spread of the rumours is tactfully meant to cause a rift between ED and CG Chiwenga. The First Lady outbursts time the army did not help the rumour. It was like fuel poured on the fire of gossip.
The problems caused by the rumours of a coup are fatal. There will be no certainty and this causes economic downfall. This scares the investors and the economy will never grow. In actual fact those fuelling the rumour of a coup in Zimbabwe are committing a serious crime.
Economic espionage is a very damaging crime. The evils exhibited by the rumour mongers is the main cause for our economic problems. Unfortunately to the bad wishers, there is no coup in Zimbabwe anytime now.
General Chiwenga has retired from the Army and cannot effectively come up with a coup. He is now a civilian and has no interest in a military coup. All the generals who took part in the coup or restore legacy whatever it is called have been posted out of government and the army. Few have have been banished to missions out side the country. There is no reason to believe that a coup is brewing in Zimbabwe.
The government leaders must be aware that the opposition is using a divide and rule technic where they want to all cause animosity between army and those in power.
With the way the coup news created anxiety and stress the gossips were indeed succeeding.
While people bring up theories of removing ED from power ED continues heading the nation.
If only we can be a nation of facts and not a nation of gossip we will be able to focus.