MUTARE Zanu (PF) is using war veterans to throw spanners into the works of the Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee (Copac) in its public consultations on the proposed new constitution in order to frustrate the committees progress, it has emerged. (Pictured: Zanu (PF) youth militia
A high placed source in the provincial party structures informed this paper that chances of having a people driven constitution remained a pie in the sky since the Zanu (PF) party leaders were busy holding meetings with war veterans and militia at provincial level to frustrate the committees work.
The source said the plan was to convince war veterans and militia to mobilise people in their respective districts to refuse any constitutional changes by threatening them that any form of cooperation will jeopardise their ownership of farms they obtained through the infamous Robert Mugabe land grab.
The party leadership is meeting with war veterans to mobilise Zanu( PF) supporters at district level throughout the country against adapting a new people driven constitution. Villagers are also being forced to support the Zanu (PF) policies and are told to reject the new constitution.
People are warned that doing so will only help them preserve their pieces of land they were given during the land reform programme.
Soldiers have been incorporated in the plan as well, said the source.
This is one of Zanu (PF)s many old tactics to gain political mileage similar to the 2000 war veterans led white farms invasions. The deliberate involvement of war veterans and soldiers speaks volume on the nature of the plan and as usual it will involve harassment, intimidation, misinforming and propagating information to maintain the political status quo.
Naively, war veterans have vouched to once again act as a lap dog for the party to clean up its political mess. The war veterans have promised to be included as a special wing in the partys national political structures.
At one of the meetings Zanu (PF) party chairman for Manicaland, Mike Madiro said: Lets be ready during this period (outreach meetings). With the help of loyal war liberators we can lead the people (Zanu PF supporters) to take over the process in order to avoid a counter attack from the opposition.
I urge all war veterans to go and defend the constitution. You should engage with your counterparts at district level in your respective areas and mobilise the people on rejecting the new constitution, said Madiro.
Once again Zanu (PF)s move to attain power through rouge political tactics will nullify the inclusive governments effort to draft a people driven constitution that will democratize and give voice to the people of Zimbabwe.
However, the people of Manicaland have openly told the Zanu (PF) party that they would not be deterred in changing the constitution.
What Zanu (PF) needs to understand is that change is inevitable and drafting a new constitution is the only way to evoke change, guarantee human rights, freedom of speech and expression thus nothing is ever going to distance people from it, said John Dzikiti a human rights activist.
Political commentators also added that the political masses were now aware of the Zanu (PF) old political tactics and they would participate fully in changing the constitution.
Post published in: News