Sources within the Zanu (PF) and the spy agency, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), last week told The Zimbabwean on Sunday that another crackdown, which will borrow from both Operation Murambatsvina/Restore Order and Dzikisai Mitengo/Yehlisani intengo is on the cards and will be launched within the next few days.
The operation is said to be a retribution campaign against urban voters who have remained faithful to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). It will see most informal traders being arrested on accusations that they are operating without licences and that they are illegal foreign currency dealers.
The operation will be launched before the presidential elections. After killing the black market on basic commodities, the government will then release the basics that have been kept for campaign purposes, which will flood the market and, hopefully, make the voters turn back to the ruling party and vote for the president in the run-off, said a source.
The sources added that Mugabe’s regime would release the staple maize-meal, which is in short supply in the market, in a bid to simulate a normal situation, whereby basic foodstuffs are available again.
This is meant to show that, despite many people blaming the government for the critical shortages of things like maize and sugar, it is some unpatriotic businesspersons who are causing artificial shortages of these. Many businesses will be hit by the new operation, said another source.
The sources added that members of the CIO, the police and the army would be deployed to monitor and harass businesses that were linked to the MDC, with some of them being forced to close down, on allegations that they were pushing a regime change agenda alongside the MDC and the West.
There are some targeted areas like Egodini bus terminus and Lobengula Street here in Bulawayo, where the deployments will be very heavy. This time there will be no favours and many informal traders and parallel market dealers will be beaten up and fined heavily, to deter them from coming back, said the source.
A few years ago, Mugabe launched two operations, Murambatsvina and Dzikisai Mitengo/Yehlisani Intengo, which left several urban people homeless and killed off businesses, resulting in most basic commodities vanishing from the shelves.
Obert Mpofu, the former Minister of Industry and International Trade, could not be reached for comment.
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