Panic in city as War vets demonstrate in support of Mugabe (29-08-07)

onomic saboteurs” read one placard, “We will die with our president,” read another, while others read “Down with hoarding” and “Land to the people.”

The war veterans’ march followed a deluge of inflammatory rhetoric from the
ruling party, blaming the MDC for the acute shortages of basics from supermarkets following a government directive to retailers to slash prices by 50 percent.

The barrage of hard-line rhetoric also included accusations against the opposition that they called for sanctions that were now allegedly hurting the country’s economy. Mugabe accused the opposition party of coordinating a plot with business leaders to raise prices of basics in what he alleged was a Western-backed ploy to incite Zimbabweans to revolt against his government.

War veterans’ leader Jabulani Sibanda told journalists : “This is the beginning of marches in support of our president, because he is operating under sanctions from the Western imperialists.”
He said the war veterans were rallying behind Mugabe and would not accept any other candidate to stand on a ruling party ticket in next year’s presidential ballot.

Observers say the march is a prelude to Zanu (PF)’s violent offensive now gathering momentum before presidential elections next year.
Public anger in urban areas over economic hardship – inflation is nearly 8,000 per cent – is at unprecedented heights. The situation has never been so volatile, observers said.

Opposition spokesman Nelson Chamisa said it was shocking that the war veterans were literally escorted by excited policemen during their march while the MDC and other civic groups go through the rigorous motion of notifying the police to hold demonstrations.

“If there is consensus on Mugabe’s candidature, why would he need demonstrations to endorse him?” asked Chamisa. “This development is indicative of the internal wars within Zanu (PF) about Mugabe’s candidature. It is a fact that Zanu PF is candidateless. The different factions are campaigning for their horses and the demonstration was just a poor show by one of the several factions.”

The war veterans proceed to the Rotten Row Zanu (PF) headquarters where they were expected to be addressed by senior ruling party officials. It was not immediately clear if Mugabe was among the line up of people expected to address the war vets, as a goon squad of ruling party militia were blocking the entrance to the headquarters.