Although there are no official results from the March 29 presidential poll,
it is common knowledge that the 84-year-old leader was beaten by long time
rival Tsvangirai.ZANU-PF and independent projections however show that Tsvangirai was a shade
below the 50-plus percent required to take power from Mugabe, but Tsvangirai
has claimed victory saying he won enough votes to avoid a second round of
voting.The sources said the committee comprises central bank chief Gideon Gono,
Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba, ZANU-PF national commissar Elliot
Manyika, trained secret service operative and ZANU-PF legislator Saviour
Kasukuwere and a top army general.
The team draws in Gono’s expertise to mobilise financial resources, Manyika’s
usually crude mobilisation tactics and the army’s logistical expertise in a
desperate bid to keep the ageing Mugabe in power.
“I can confirm that the taskforce is in place and will be running Comrade
Mugabe’s run-off campaign, a knowledgeable ruling ZANU-PF party source told
ZimOnline.On Friday night Manyika held a marathon meeting with the leaders of the war
veterans and collaborators for serious briefing on how Mugabe’s campaign
will be handled.
The groundwork is being laid as we speak. You can not rule out coercion and
violence, said the source, who is among senior politburo members who failed
to convince Mugabe at last Friday’s politburo meeting to negotiate a safe
exit with Tsvangirai.ZANU PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa refused take questions
on the matter.”What business is it of yours? You want me to tell you how we are going to
campaign, certainly not,” Mutasa said curtly before switching off his mobile
phone.
Our sources said the committee’s terms of reference are to raise money for
Mugabe during what would be an intense three weeks of campaigning ahead of
the presidential run-off.The source said the money would be used to buy voters outright and to pay
war veterans and ZANU-PF militia, all Mugabe’s shock troops who have
anchored his past election campaigns.
Despite being suspended from ZANU-PF, war veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda
has been re-called to lead the campaign in rural areas and is using the
ZANU-PF headquarters in Harare as the war veterans’ command centre.
Some war veterans have already been given Chinese-made pick up trucks and
have been cited in rural provinces to prepare the groundwork for what could
turn out to be another violent campaign.
Reports on Sunday said war veterans and militant ZANU PF youths had begun
seizing some of the few remaining white-owned farms, especially in parts of
the southern Masvingo province.
Three cattle ranchers said they were forced off their land on Saturday while
a fourth farmer was on Sunday reportedly still holding out, with about 50
militants threatening to break down his farm gates.
Sources say farm invasions will spread across the countryside in days to
come as ZANU PF pushes to regain the upper hand in rural and farming areas
where it surprisingly lost several seats to Tsvangirai’s MDC party.
Zimbabwe looks set to be plunged into political violence as Mugabe seeks to
defend his turf from a resurgent Tsvangirai, some quarters had long written
off as a fading opposition leader.
There are suggestions Mugabe did not want a run-off with Tsvangirai and had
instead opted for a transitional period to safeguard himself and his family,
but was pushed to stand by a small cabal of loyalists that do not see any
future without him.
Security has been beefed around Zimbabwe’s only ruler since independence
from Britain in 1980, with tankers now seen outside his official State House
residence since Monday when he was told he had lost the election.
But what is more interesting is the inclusion of Gono, he seems to have
tied his fate to President Mugabe. I don’t know whether that is a wise move
or not given the political climate prevailing at the moment, the source
said. – ZimOnline.