By Tichaona Sibanda
21 January 2010

A senior airforce of Zimbabwe officer has been named as one of several military officers leading a campaign to force villagers in Manicaland to attend ZANU PF political meetings in the province.

Air Commodore Innocent Chiganze, whose name has become synonymous with terror in Makoni district, is a Nigerian trained fighter pilot. Instead of concentrating on his flying skills, the Air Commodore has been accused of waging an ‘undeclared war’ on civilians in Manicaland.

The former St Augustine Penhalonga high school pupil, who began his career in the airforce flying fighter jets at Thornhill airbase in Gweru, is reportedly leading a ‘ragtag’ unit of war veterans and militias pressing villagers to attend pro-ZANU PF meetings.

One such meeting will be held at Jani resettlement area in Makoni South on Friday beginning at 9am, where it’s been reported villagers will be told to support the Kariba draft. A local MDC councilor told SW Radio Africa on Thursday that Chief John Rukweza, allegedly on Chiganze’s orders, instructed all headmen and village chairmen to tell people based in their areas to attend the meeting without fail.

‘We have 34 headmen under Chief Rukweza in Makoni South and each of them leads about 300 to 400 villagers. You are looking at an entire constituency of about 13,000 people being forced to attend tomorrow’s (Friday) meeting,’ the councilor said.

Villagers have been warned that if they fail to attend the meeting they’ll either have their resettlement permits cancelled or ejected from the area altogether. Concerned by this apparent political blackmail, headmen and village heads approached the MDC in the constituency for advice.

‘We’re telling our supporters not to attend any of these meetings. They shouldn’t be afraid because if it means dying we all die together. We see Chiganze here almost every week and we know he’s the one coordinating the war veterans and militias who are moving at night visiting known MDC activists and ordering them to attend these meetings. It’s not a secret that they want to force us to adopt the Kariba draft,’ the councilor said.

The councilor’s views were echoed by the MDC-T MP for the area, Muchauraya, who told us individuals should refuse to be arm twisted or forced to support what they don’t like.

‘It’s either Chief Rukweza is mad or he’s being used by the military to advance the ZANU PF agenda on the people of Makoni. I will be meeting him tonight (Thursday) and get to the bottom of this political chicanery,’ Muchauraya said.

The MP said the three party principals, including everyone involved with the constitution making process, were well aware the thematic committees should be working on talking points during the consultative process and not any other document including the Kariba draft.

‘As it is I think it’s clear it’s either the chief is day dreaming or mad. Arikudhunya kupenga chaiko (he’s really gone mad),’ Muchauraya said.

It’s not just Manicaland that is being affected. We also received a report from one of our listeners in Mashonaland East, saying ZANU PF have sent delegations to the area, under the pretence of talking about the constitution. But they are holding rallies where they threaten violence if the MDC are allowed to win the referendum or even allowed to come onto the property to talk about the constitution. The listener said they are ‘extremely threatening and forcing all labour to attend’.

While the majority of Zimbabweans have overwhelmingly rejected the use of the Kariba draft as a basis for the new constitution, hardliners within ZANU PF insist on using the document, negotiated in secret on a houseboat on Lake Kariba three years ago. The draft leaves the president with vast powers, something Zimbabweans no longer want.

Among the presidential powers contained in the draft is a clause permitting Mugabe to serve another two five-year terms. In addition, there are no limits to the number of government ministers appointed by the president, no limit to presidential patronage and no devolution of power to the provinces. The draft also makes no provision for the post of Prime Minister and it gives the president powers to declare war without consulting anyone. He would have the right to appoint judges and fire them at will.

Zimbabweans are pinning their hopes on a new constitution which they hope will strengthen the role of parliament, whittle down the president’s powers and guarantee civil liberties and political and media reforms.

SW Radio Africa