Exiled former Zimbabwean Cabinet Minister, Walter Mzembi has said President Mnangagwa and his army are the key people behind the abduction and torture of opposition MDC officials:
Said Mzembi in a series of social media threads:
No mystery there… we as a Nation just choose to forget certain things, the chronology of events and new modus operandi ever since Nov 2017 coup and these sporadic abductions just remind us who is in charge since then. From a Police to a Military State!
Before Nov 17, Zim was suffering from an inordinate presence of Police Roadblocks, but they were manned by Police alone. I complained bitterly about this, it’s on record . There were no soldiers though, party or paramilitary presence at these roadblocks
It was a modus operandi that if you are apprehended at a Police Roadblock you are asked to follow or drive to a Police Station with an officer inside your car before being charged. Your car would remain parked until your appearance either in court or fine
Post-Nov 2017, Roadblocks reflect a joint operation of all security agents but the Police are no longer in charge, they submit to the Army, they may not necessarily be in uniform but they are overall in charge. lots of haggling between them at these points
A victim is usually torn between their arguments of civil or paramilitary handling of these cases, but they always head to a Police Station sometimes victims are made to drive all around Harare as they seek a determination on what to do with them
In the case of these three, they were determined political cases, and with these MID takes over, not even CIO whose brief has been subsumed by MID since Nov 2017. There is deep distrust between the two. It’s all in the public since the coup
Ask Chombo, Chimedza etc who blindfolded them & which Police Station kept them in Custody? And who interrogated them during their incarceration. Ask G40 these questions how we were arrested, who interrogated us & the helplessness of the Police
Because of this divide post-Nov 17, we would get tip-offs of impending abductions, how and where they would happen. I got mine on the morning of the 19th of September 2018, and was authoritatively told if you don’t escape it will be too late in 12 hrs!
I thank the Security Branch and Officers that tipped me off, I would be history. My destiny was Goromonzi, I don’t know where but some interrogation and torture camp they told me. So it is not a wonder why that car is parked there and who took over!
Finally even the President switched his Aide de Camp from Police to Airforce blue. Mugabe always had a Snr Ass Comm behind him now it’s Army, this manifests who is in charge, that reflects down to a roadblock. Musaenda kuGumbwa mhinduro iripo.
