In a statement issued this week, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) said its duty is to complement the police in keeping peace during the election period.
“Members of the public should be aware that the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) has no direct role in the upcoming elections. Our role is mainly to support the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in the maintenance of law in the country, before, during and after the harmonized elections,” read the statement.
The statement said members of the military deployed around the country are those traditionally for humanitarian and peace keeping work.
“You may want to know that the deployments we have include troops on various command projects, border control operations in support of the ZRP and some National Parks in support of the Park Rangers.”
However our military insiders yesterday maintained that the army press statement was a public relations stunt, and that Operation Restore Legacy, which toppled former leader, Robert Mugabe, last November in a bloodless coup was still in full gear.
“Chiwenga (Vice President) himself has admitted that Operation Restore Legacy is not yet complete, and it will be mission accomplished if people vote for Mnangagwa. The coming state of emergency, is the right tool needed to cow voters into retaining the status quo, without having to stage another coup.”
Spotlight Zimbabwe, has it on good authority that key international players, including our closest ally South Africa, have been reportedly briefed about the likelihood of the planned state of emergency, in the same vein as they got to be informed about the November 2017 coup in advance.