This follows recent reports that CIOs have been deployed in refugee reception centres, political parties and non-governmental organisations.
“We have identified the CIOs, who drive around in 4×4 vehicles and live in Johannesburg and Pretoria,” said an MDC activist, who lives in the Central Methodist Church in downtown Johannesburg.
“One of their teams is being led by a man called Sheppard, who drives around in a black Navara and recently moved from Pretoria to Johannesburg. He abducted many people in Pretoria, at the Bosman bus and train terminus, and sent them back to Zimbabwe. He usually drives around with four people in his car and they seem ready to take out the all vocal MDC-T activists in a bid to weaken the party ahead of polls.”
The state secret agents are also said to be trying to gather information on the MDC-T’s reported plans to transport exiles back home to participate in the elections.
“We were told that the MDC-T wants to organise busses for people to go home to vote and the plan is to foil that by delaying them at the border and police roadblocks until after the elections,” said an operative. “Many of our members are within the NGO and MDC-T structures to get that vital information, which will be communicated to Harare for action. We have also been assigned to arrest those who could have links with Baba Jukwa and torture them into revealing who he really is and where he is based.”
The CIOs have also established a ring of informers, who are said to be planted in places where the MDC-T is believed to have its strongholds.
Gift Nhidza, an exiled torture victim, confirmed that there were CIOs and informers in Johannesburg.
“We know some of them and have warned MDC activists to stay away from them. Most of them are well-known people who pretend to be asylum seekers and have been given permits and shelter at the expense of genuine refugees, but we are doing something to bring an end to this,” said Nhidza. “We are still involved in efforts to expose these people so that they are dealt with soon after Zimbabwe gets a proper government that does not rely on political violence and torture to silence the people.”
Post published in: News