The army is watching – says retired Air Marshall, adds it will advise accordingly if Zanu PF becomes a security threat

Source: www.newzimbabwe.com

RETIRED Air Marshall Henry Muchena, one of the army’s former generals demanding a referendum before President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s second term is extended, has warned that the military is watching and will respond ‘accordingly’ if Zanu PF becomes a security threat. His comments come at a time Zanu PF is battling factional fights as a result of Mnangagwa’s desperate attempts at amending the Zimbabwean Constitution and ensuring two more years to his last five years in power. Mnangagwa does not want a referendum while Muchena and his grouping of former army generals have advised against moving forward without the people’s consent.

With the army having stepped in to stop late President Robert Mugabe in November 2017, Muchena’s comments are the only insight into how the army could be analysing the unfolding situation. “When Zimbabweans agreed to the 2013 Constitution there are certain areas where they were very clear regards their amendments,” said Muchena. “Zanu PF was also very clear when it mandated the drafting team through Resolution No. 1. It mandated the team to explore ways of extending presidential terms and the team went off course by coming with its host of resolutions and deciding that a referendum was not necessary. “Chapter 4 of the Constitution is clear; a referendum is needed if there is any amendment to that Chapter.” Retired Air Marshall Henry Muchena Muchena last month delivered a letter to Parliament speaking against the amendment of Zimbabwe’s Constitution so as to suit Mnangagwa and warned that the proposed amendments were not anywhere near what they had gone to war for. Added Muchena: “These opportunists have quickly moved to try and remove Section 212 of the Constitution which mandates the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) to defend the Constitution and I think that is a way of trying to manipulate the constitutional process. “I do not want to believe that the ZDF are derilicting on their duties but they are watching the process and when Zanu PF itself becomes a security threat I want to believe they will advise accordingly.” Muchena, who was speaking to Ignite Media and claims to have clocked over 50 years as a member of Zanu PF, said the party’s new crop of ‘unelected leaders’ had now seized control of the party through cooption into the central committee, cash and vehicle donations to its leaders. “I have been a Zanu PF member for well over half a century and I have believed in the principles for what it was created but of late Zanu PF has a new crop of leaders that seem to believe that leadership can be bought using money,” said Muchena. “We have recently seen cooption into the Zanu PF central committee of people going in using money and buying of party officials’ vehicles and that is unZanu . “Post 2017 we thought the party was now mature enough to bring in new leaders and the President seems to have over opened up and coopted unelected people that are now changing the principles of the party. “In this particular incident the use of influence by unelected leaders within Zanu PF became overwhelming and it appears to be still overwhelming but that can be curtailed if Zanu PF goes back to its basic principles and hands over power to the people.” The post The army is watching – says retired Air Marshall, adds it will advise accordingly if Zanu PF becomes a security threat appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com .

Related topics: Zimbabwe Army, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Constitutional Amendment, Term Limits, Zanu PF, Military Intervention, Referendum, Political Crisis, Henry Muchena, Security Threat

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