Mugabe preparing for war: DA

A fact-finding mission from official opposition South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) party told parliament last week that the Zimbabwean strongman was stockpiling modern weapons and was due to receive another shipment of ammunition from Jacob Zuma’s government shortly.

According to the report compiled by DA parliamentarians Wilmot James and Kenneth Mubu, Pretoria had already sold an unspecified number of 9mm and 7.2mm ammunition to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and the South African parliaments National Conventional Arms Control Committee was also considering authorising more than a million rounds of bullets for export to Harare.

Fact-finding mission

There is no question that the bullets will be used against civilians, said the DA duo which was part of a fact-finding mission from the SADC Parliamentary Forum.

Besides South Africa, other countries cited as arming Mugabe were the communist republics of Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea.

“Mugabe is (also) talking to Venezuela, Cuba and Korea to fund a war-chest in preparation for the referendum and election, following the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) brokered by former president Thabo Mbeki on behalf of SADC,” the legislators said.

They added: We believe it is appropriate to request Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea to desist funding Mugabes war machine and for South Africa to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe.

Paramilitary activities

James and Mubu said their investigations had revealed an increase in paramilitary activities in Zimbabwes rural areas in recent months, raising fears of another round of political violence led by Mugabes Zanu (PF).

We call on President (Jacob) Zuma to do everything is his power to restrain Mugabe from pursuing another round of pacification by terror. This time he will take a lot more than his country down with him, the MPs added.

The alleged arms deal between Harare and Pretoria exposes the hypocrisy of South Africa which is supposed to oversee Zimbabwes political transition.

Zuma is until this month the chairman of the 15-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) which facilitated last Septembers power-sharing pact between Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Arthur Mutambara of a smaller MDC faction.

Brutal system

Observers say by arming Mugabe, Pretoria appears to be perpetuating the same brutal system that SADC and the rest of the international community had sought to dismantle for the past 10 years.

James and Mubu reported that hit squads had been assembled as Zanu (PF) readies itself for war against Tsvangirais supporters.

The DA team believes that some of the arms are being used in the war of terror against Zimbabwes remaining white farmers who have been targeted by Zanu (PF) youths, so-called war veterans and the security forces.

Farm invasions have continued almost a year after Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara agreed to end the illegal occupation of white-owned farms.

Hordes of Zanu (PF) militias have refused to vacate occupied farms apparently under instructions from the top.

The militias have also reportedly re-established torture camps at rural schools in a move that brings back sad memories of last years army-directed org of violence.

More than 200 people most of them MDC supporters were killed during the wild scenes of violence that accompanied the second round of the 2008 disputed presidential polls.