Zimbabwe army chief 'won't allow change of power'

Zimbabwe army chief 'won't allow change of power'

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By Agencies

THE new Supreme Commander of Zimbabwe's Defence Forces, General Constantine Chiwenga, has declared that the army will never allow the opposition Movement for Democratic Change to take over the country, even if it wins an election, because it is "foreign driven".

This is the second time a defence force commander has threatened a military takeover of Zimbabwe. Just before the 2002 presidential elections, Chiwenga's predecessor, Gen Vitalis Zvinavashe, flanked by other top army generals, including Chiwenga, who was then commander of the Zimbabwe National Army, declared at a media conference that the defence force would never allow a non-participant in the 1970s independence war to take over the country.

Zvinavashe said the army could not salute anyone who had not fight in the liberation war, a reference to MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai who did not directly participate in Zimbabwe's liberation war.

He described the presidency in Zimbabwe as a "straitjacket" that was not up for grabs.

Despite the threats, Tsvangirai garnered 1.2 million votes, losing to Mugabe by 400 000 votes, despite having had his supporters in urban centres teargassed away from polling stations.

Chiwenga has since been promoted to succeed Zvinavashe, who has retired as head of the ZDF, the joint command structure of both the Zimbabwe National Army and the Airforce of Zimbabwe.

Addressing thousands of people at a prize-giving day at a rural secondary school, Chiwenga was quoted as saying that the defence force was there to protect the country's achievements and would not allow anyone to disturb these.

"I would not hesitate to go on record again on behalf of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, to disclose that we would not welcome any change of government that carries the label 'Made in London', and whose sole aim is to defeat the gains of the liberation struggle," Chiwenga was quoted as saying in the state-run Herald newspaper.

Mugabe has dubbed Zimbabwe's parliamentary elections next year the "anti-Blair elections" saying he wants to destroy the MDC, which he accuses of being a British creation, once and for all. - Independent Foreign Service
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