Mugabe deploys CIO to Botswana
November 18, 2008
Morgan Tsvangirai (C) with Ian Khama in Gaborone before June elections.
By Mxolisi Ncube
JOHANNESBURG – President Robert Mugabe’s government has allegedly deployed teams of Central Intelligence Organisation agents to Botswana to investigate allegations that Zimbabwe’s western neighbour is training military bandits on behalf of the MDC.
Mugabe’s government recently accused Botswana of training militiamen on behalf of the Morgan Tsvangirai-led party, which defeated Zanu-PF in elections held in March. Mugabe maintains that the MDC is a front for Western countries, the United Kingdom in particular, which are determined to “re-colonise” Zimbabwe after almost 30 years of independence.
If that happened Zimbabwe would have the dubious distinction of being the first country ever to be recolonised by its former colonial power, a prospect that many find too far-fetched to be taken seriously.
The government alleges that the bandits are under-going training in readiness to destabilize Zimbabwe, which is currently grappling with a serious political crisis and an economic meltdown that many observers blame on some of government’s obvious ill-conceived policies. Mugabe blame’s his nation’s problems on so called sanctions imposed by western nations as part of the so-called strategy to recolonise Zimbabwe. He accuses Botswana, a relentless critic of the Mugabe government, of aiding and abetting the MDC in a bid to foment disaffection with his government.
Botswana has dismissed the allegations out of hand as unfounded, and challenged the Zimbabwean government to provide proof of the alleged military training, which Mugabe’s government claims started in 2002.
Intelligence sources revealed to The Zimbabwe Times on Tuesday that the CIO had secretly deployed the first batch of intelligence operatives across the border into Botswana on Monday this week. They would remain on assignment on Botswana soil for at least three months. The officers would compile and submit reports for Mugabe’s “consideration and possible action”.
“About 50 senior officers were deployed in Botswana on Monday for a three month period,” said a senior CIO source based at Magnet House, the agency’s provincial headquarters in the second biggest city of Bulawayo. “They are expected to provide weekly report-backs to headquarters, before compiling a joint final report that will be handed over to the President upon completion of their mission.”
The officers, who are to operate in 10 separate teams that will comb different locations in Botswana, were reportedly drawn from various provinces in the country, with Harare and Bulawayo providing the bulk.
According to the intelligence sources, the operation, whose finer details remain a closely guarded secret was launched as a result of recommendations made by the Joint Operations Command (JOC) after a meeting held in Harare two weeks ago.
Our sources say the JOC still suspected that Botswana might be training the alleged MDC militia, because of that country’s continued “demonisation” of the Mugabe government.
The government also believes that when Tsvangirai briefly stayed in Botswana before the presidential run-off election in June, he had negotiated a “Plan B” with that country’s leader, Ian Khama, in the case that the MDC leader lost the election or that the Zimbabwean military denied him the opportunity to take over from Mugabe, if he won the election.
“The JOC still suspects that there is military training taking place in that country,” said one source. “There have been such deployments in that country and South Africa before, but all those have not managed to find any tangible evidence.”
The government also believes that some retired Zimbabwean army and police personnel might be involved in conducting the training, and some teams have been sent to keep tabulations on well-known former security officers, especially those that occupied senior positions.”
However, the sources could not say what exactly would happen in the case that the allegations were found to be true.
A Botswana immigration official who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity revealed that Botswana officials were aware that Zimbabwe had previously deployed its intelligence missions in that country.
“We first heard that in June this year and we were wondering why they would do that,” said the official. “At some stage, we thought that they were coming after some opposition activists and military deserters they thought had fled into this country. I had not heard about the new deployments.”
A political analyst in Harare described the allegations made against the MDC specifically by former Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa as “a desperate ploy by the 84-year-old Mugabe to intimidate the MDC”, after negotiations for a unity government seemingly fell apart during the past few weeks.
“Mugabe just wants to use these allegations to continue his terror tactics against the MDC for its refusal to accept a weaker role in the all-inclusive government,” said the analyst. “What is likely to follow now is a wave of terror campaigns against the opposition with cooked up charges by this dictator.
“We do not need actions that might end up sparking diplomatic rifts or igniting regional wars and Mugabe must know better than this. We have thousands of our people in Botswana, who are going to be affected adversely by such actions.”
No comment could be obtained from either the Zimbabwean or the Botswana governments. The MDC has previously denied the allegations levelled against it by the government.
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This is ridiculous.How does Botswana waste money on training MDC operatives to destabilse a country that was long destabilised by its own government?
Any training, if offered, would be more strategic if geared towards taking over crucial structures once the self inflicted destabilisation causes the state functionaries and organs to crumble on their own.
As for the CIO in Botswana be assured they are feeding (yes eating) and may not be that many, otherwise it is a statistical and procedural fiasco against Zanu pf.
It is interesting to note that when any rumour comes out about mugabe or zanu pf , it is widely accepted by the media as true and fact yet it is still rumour!!! Anything to do with morgan Tsvangirai is flatly denied as zanu pf hallucinations. Whatever happened to journalists who actually follow up stories to get to the facts. This is when you can give your own opinions but based on your findings. We are fed up of feeding on gossip and rumours . This sort of stuff is killing our country and the sad fact is that people believe everything they hear-zanu pf or mdc.
Zimbabwe in Congo- Mugabe in china -militia -C10 -junta ..all these terms are a product of American style propaganda that they have used so successfully in the past to dehumanise a leader they no longer like. Zimbabweans are educated and i hope when the country has settled down t normal business you will all turn your efforts into making our lives better.If we all right now put hatred aside and decided to take one day at a time as one , we might start to get somewhere. if we continue on this curve we are heading for disaster. My efforts and energy from now on is focused on making sure my family gets food on the table. I will fight day and night to provide for them.
The gvt can easily screen people who have been in Botswana for some time to see what they have been up to. The relationship between Morgan Tsvangirai and Ian khama is a bit strange considering the situation our country is facing right now. It is no different from Mcgee and Tsvangirai as well as odinga. These people only help to make matters worse whether you like it or not. Let’s be left alone to fight our battles. We are not incapable as nation , we can solve our problems as it is the only way forward…happy Christmas.
EDITOR: When information surfaced that the September 15 Agreement had been clumsily doctored many dismissed this as another “media rumour”. That was until Welshman Ncube disclosed that Patrick Chinamasa had, indeed doctored the document.
Journalists still still try their best to investigate or pursue stories. Zanu-PF and the government don’t take too kindly to nosy reporters, however, and some have had their noses bludgeoned, while newspapers have been banned and printing presses bombed. Where information is suppressed rumours flourish.
Blame Zanu-PF for that, not the journalists.
You declare, Mugabe, that from now on your focus is to ensure that your family gets food on the table. You will obviously be surprised that this has been the increasingly daunting pre-occupation of millions of your compatriots, going back 10 years or so.
PLEEEAASE!! What intelligence? You guys give these people too much credit, when the only intelligent thing they have is their name.
The CIO is a bunch of uneducated, overzealous, people who were mainly recruited for their extraordinary ability to take zanu pf orders without question. I know one guy who was recruited into this agency because of his large stature, which i assume they would have found useful in intimidation, killings, kidnappings and carrying and disposing of murdered civilians. What a shame, for an agency that is supposed to protect us the citizens from external threats.
Mugabe and his senile cronies are running out of ideas and for them to think of persuing an military action against Botswana would be suicidal. And i pray they do, because the reaction is going to be so swift like the lightning – they won’t know what hit’em.
May have to buy some popcorn and watch CNN as Mugabe and the JOC run around looking for some caves to hide in.