BULAWAYO – Robert Mugabe’s hit squad – the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) – had orders to assassinate opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, The Zimbabwean learned this week.
The Zimbabwean was shown an internal memorandum written by the CIO, which details how the spy agency had express orders to execute Tsvangirai, president of the bigger faction of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Party spokesman Nelson Chamisa and Pius Ncube, the retired Roman Catholic Archbishop for Bulawayo, were also on the hit list.
The memorandum, CM53/09/07, signed by a Z E Chibaya – said to be a senior CIO officer based at Bulawayo’s Magnet House – bears the Zimbabwean coat of arms. It indicates that the plot was to be carried out before a deadline of March 31 this year.
Sources within the CIO in Bulawayo also told The Zimbabwean that the adultery allegations against Pius Ncube was Mugabe’s ‘plan B’ after the assassination task failed.
According to one CIO operative, ‘plan A’ was ditched because “when the order came, we had reached a situation where the opposition and civic groups had become so united that they could easily lead the people into violent street protests that would succeed in toppling the government”.
The memorandum, entitled ‘Elimination tasks ref. 1. M.TSV, 2. A.PN and 3. NC as directed by yours’, is an enquiry by Chibaya into whether the “elimination order as given by HE still has to be carried out as directed”.
With all due respect, subjects 1 and 3 seem to have changed their stance, as shown by the ongoing negotiations, while subject 2 seems to have been silenced. However, this LOC is still ready for any new order ref the above,” reads part of the memorandum.
The sources say that M.TSV stands for Morgan Tsvangirai, A.PN for Archbishop Pius Ncube while NC stands for Nelson Chamisa. HE is short for His Excellency (Mugabe).
Chamisa was brutally assaulted by the CIO at the Harare International Airport on March 19, and the sources revealed that this was an attempt to take his life. Chamisa’s attackers have still not be arrested by the Zimbabwean police, eight months later.
“Tsvangirai has always been our number one target and he was supposed to die in a road accident while on his way to attend a Save Zimbabwe Campaign prayer rally at St Patrick’s Church in Bulawayo, but fortunately for him, he did not turn up owing to a mix-up between the agency and the police, who barred him from attending the prayer rally as a condition to allow it to go ahead,” said one of the sources.
Ncube was supposed to be shot and killed by Onesimus Sibanda, also during the same month, according to the sources.
“The plan was to have him shot as if in a love triangle while coming out of Sibanda’s matrimonial home in Njube. However, there were two obstacles to that. Ncube did not visit the house and Sibanda was not willing to shed the Archbishop’s blood, fearing that he could be used and dumped to face the music alone,” added the senior CIO source. – Bayethe Zitha
Post published in: News