ARMY generals have denied the possibility of a coup led by former Zanu-PF members aligned to the late president Robert Mugabe who are currently in exile.
In a statement, the working committee of the National Security Council – a grouping of top bosses in all security arms of the country – said Zimbabwe boasted an “evolving electoral culture” and as such there was no room for a coup.
This is despite the November 2017 Operation Restore Legacy that catapulted President Emmerson Mnangagwa to power, bringing to end the late Robert Mugabe’s 37 years in power.
“Indeed, both claims – of a military coup and a transitional national authority in the making – amount to a mere agenda by merchants of discord,” reads the statement.
The statement singles out opposition politician Job Sikhala of the MDC Alliance and a Mugabe student, Savior Kasukuwere, both exiled in South Africa, as “purveyors of falsehoods”.
“The narrative, which also sets an agenda for and promotes negative political activism, including coordinated fake abductions and media campaigns, has of late roped in several local and international prophets,” it reads.
The generals also took a swipe at foreign embassies stationed in Harare for “misleading their capitals through purported intelligence”.
The statement was issued amid swirling rumours in Harare that the disgruntled exiles were working with named senior members of the establishment, security chiefs and point men in the opposition. “This is in a bid to taint the image of his excellency the president, to undermine the legitimacy of government and to render the country ungovernable,” warned the generals.
Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst economic crisis of the decade, with runaway inflation pegged at 676% by government statistics as of March, while independent economists put the current figure at 866%.
To curb growing disgruntlement from the civil service, the government said it would meet workers’ representatives this week for increment negotiations.
