By KITSEPILE NYATHI
NATION Correspondent HARARE,

In Summary

1) Mugabe and Tsvangirai agreed to share power with finer details of the arrangement still having to be thrashed out.
2) Last week, there were reports that President Mugabe was facing stiff opposition from the JOC
3) MDC: More than 100 supporters were killed and senior police and army commanders were fingered in the violence

Zimbabwe’s pre-independence white supremacist leader, Ian Smith once declared: “I don’t believe in black majority rule ever, in Rhodesia, not in a thousand years.”

Less than 10 years down the line his colonial government was swept away by two liberation war movements led by President Robert Mugabe and the late Dr Joshua Nkomo, ushering Zimbabwe’s independence on April 18, 1980.

Mr Smith was forced to eat humble pie and even had a short-lived stint in a parliament controlled by the majority blacks for the first time in the country’s tortuous history.

The major lesson the rebel leader learnt was that even a day in politics is too long for you to make permanent enemies.

But decades down the line the architects of the 15-year bush war that cost thousands of lives seem to have learnt nothing from Mr Smith’s embarrassing political miscalculations.

In the run-up to Zimbabwe’s historic March elections, the security chiefs who are veterans of the liberation war declared that veteran opposition leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai will never rule the country because he was a “stooge” of Western countries.

Even after Zimbabweans voted overwhelmingly for Mr Tsvangirai the generals remained defiant and went on to spearhead a campaign of terror all in an effort to reverse Mr Mugabe’s embarrassing defeat.

But after the 84 year-old leader posted a pyrrhic victory in the June 27 presidential run-off election where he ran alone, the generals are now being forced to eat their words with their tails firmly tuck between their legs.

After weeks of intense negotiations, Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai have agreed to share power with the finer details of the power-sharing arrangement still having to be thrashed out.

Intelligence services

But what is certain is that the commander of the Zimbabwe national army, General Constantine Chiwengwa, police chief Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri, Retired Major General Paradzayi Zimondi and Mr Happyton Bonyongwe the director general of the feared intelligence services would be forced to relinquish their positions.

“The generals have no choice but to resign because they took an undertaking that they will not work under Tsvangirai in whatever circumstances,” Mr Oswald Ndlovu a political analyst said.

“I see them resigning as soon as a new government is installed to save face and if they wait to be pushed out, I foresee a situation where Zimbabweans will demand that they should be prosecuted for human rights violations.

“It would be wise for them to make hay while there is still sunshine and negotiate their exit with guarantees that they will not be prosecuted.”

Last week, there were reports that President Mugabe was facing stiff opposition from the Joint Operations Command (JOC), a shadowy but powerful cluster of security chiefs over his decision to cede executive powers to the MDC in an all inclusive government.

The national security think tank made up of the army, police, prisons and the Central Intelligence (CIO) chiefs was accused of plotting the violent campaign to secure Mr Mugabe’s victory in the discredited election.

“The service chiefs don’t want Tsvangirai to have executive powers,” the Zimbabwe Independent weekly newspaper quoted unnamed sources as having said.

“They wonder how they will relate to him after they issued statements before the elections that they would not salute him if he won.”

The JOC members were last week invited by the talks’ negotiators so that they could spell out their position on the negotiations and their likely outcome.

The paper said the security chiefs were also concerned about their security amid fears that they would be arrested for alleged human rights abuses during the violent run-off campaign.

“They are against the ceding of too much power to Tsvangirai,” the paper added. “They are also afraid of being punished for human rights abuses.”

The JOC was said to have been fiercely opposed to any deal that would demote President Mugabe to a ceremonial role and give executive powers to Mr Tsvangirai.

But with the economy in free-fall and the need for a realistic compromise deal having become imperative, the JOC was forced to relent.They now appear powerless to influence the fast moving political developments.

Mr Mugabe’s spokesman, Mr George Charamba described the unexpected cooperation between the ruling Zanu PF and the MDC – parties that seemed to be like oil and water only a month ago – as “a milestone.”

“This is an important milestone that has been registered in the inter-party dialogue,” Mr Charamba said.

He was speaking ahead of a visit by the mediator in the talks South African President Thabo Mbeki for a meeting with Mr Mugabe, Mr Tsvangirai and Professor Arthur Mutambara of the smaller faction of the smaller faction of the MDC to wrap up the dialogue.

Last Saturday, a bomb explosion rocked Harare’s main police station and police officers were said to be the main suspects.

Although the motive of the blast has largely remained a mystery, it was rumoured that some security chiefs opposed to the talks could have been responsible.

There were also reports that the police could be trying to destroy evidence of human rights violations anticipating change.

The MDC says more than 100 of its supporters were killed and thousands left homeless during a wave of state sponsored violence in the run-up to the June poll.

Senior police and army commanders were fingered in the violence and there have been growing calls for them to be tried.

However, the draft agreement between the MDC and Zanu PF reportedly provides for amnesty for those who were involved in political violence.

They can still retire

Although there are strong feelings within Zimbabwe that the security chiefs must face international justice at one point, they can still retire in the comfort that it would not happen soon.

Zimbabwe has not ratified the Rome Statute, which launched the International Criminal Court (ICC) where they can be tried for crimes against humanity.

Only the Security Council of the United Nations or Mr Mugabe’s government can launch prosecutions for war crimes committed during the run-up to the elections and the massacres in Matabeleland in the 1980s.

Courtesy of:http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa