Spies stalk Mugabe critics

via Spies stalk Mugabe critics – DailyNews Live 17 March 2015

HARARE – Top Zanu PF officials including cabinet ministers are living in fear of the dreaded government spies, whom they allege are constantly monitoring their movements as the contentious purge of party officials linked to former vice president Joice Mujuru continues, the Daily News has been told.

As the deadly succession wars in Zanu PF get more vicious, the constant surveillance of ministers has ruffled feathers in the ruling party with some ministers revealing to the Daily News that they are changing as many as three cars a day —“to shrug off the boys”.

Ministers and their deputies are driven by aides provided by the State who stay with them throughout the day, from Monday to Friday and this has caused a “sense of paranoia” among some who say they are no longer free to enjoy their personal freedoms.

“I am living in fear of the guys that I travel with daily. When I want to meet friends they follow me, and when I question them it will raise eyebrows,” said a top minister.

A contentious web of spying laws and regulations such as the Interception of Communications law, already arms government with the powers to monitor e-mails and telephone conversations of its private citizens including top government officials and perceived opponents.

Despite the economic meltdown and a salary freeze for most government workers, security agencies still receive a substantial budget allocation with Zanu PF officials fearful that the resources are used in shady operations to track down opponents.

The fall of Mujuru and her top allies, Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo was also a result of the spying activities of the “boys”, with Mugabe’s wife Grace revealing during her “meet the people” rallies that she had watched a video of the widowed former VP in a mini-skirt plotting the downfall of her husband.

“People were recorded by aides whom they trusted very well. Just listen to the president and you will get a clear picture that the likes of Mujuru were being monitored by their aides,” said a minister.

In 2011, at the burial of spy chief Mernand Muzariri, Mugabe revealed that the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO)were his eyes that helped him identify foes.

But Mugabe has reportedly not been trusting CIO officials since the anti-Mujuru campaign started and has been instead listening to some other arms of the security structures.

“Knowledge of the party doesn’t come from books, but from intelligence officers through observation, listening and even drinking in beer halls and walking with them.”

Mugabe said through the intelligence unit, Zanu PF was able to detect every move that “party sell-outs” made and was well aware of their activities.

“We cannot only chant slogans without reality to it.

“What happens after chanting those slogans at your own home? Some run around to sell out and say what we would have discussed in meetings.

“All who have eyes to see very far away and ears to hear far will give us all the information. They will tell us these are sell-outs.”

Ahead of the Zanu PF dump-squib congress last year, reports in the State media alleged that Gumbo was recorded saying they would remove Mugabe the Kabila way, if he does not respect Mujuru.

On the other hand, Mutasa was allegedly sold out by a girlfriend whom the state media sensationally claims the former top minister had confided in, his plans to have Mugabe shot.

Recently, Mutasa told the Daily News the state agents  were following him around the clock.

And as the plot against the ousted faction thickened, spies were also caught on Mujuru’s farm a fortnight ago.

Mutasa, Gumbo and Mujuru have allegedly come under increasing surveillance from panicky authorities keen to know what the disaffected liberation executioners are planning.

On the eve of his mega birthday celebrations, Mugabe revealed that authorities were closely “watching” the movements of former comrades-turned-foes who were challenging the outcome of the ruling party’s disputed December 2014 congress.

Although both Mutasa and Gumbo have contemptuously dismissed the allegations, many of their colleagues who are still in government are scared of falling into a similar trap. “People are being tracked, remember they want to remove all persons linked to Mujuru from cabinet and they also want to make new appointments, they want to make sure that they weed out anything remotely linked to Mujuru,” said the source.

Mugabe’s stunning revelations recently that Mujuru engaged in spine chilling rituals with witch doctors to engineer his demise, have only reinforced the fears among his underlings who are all too aware they are being watched.