By Innocent Mujeri
The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has reportedly received US$2 million dollars from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a U.S. Non-Governmental organization, to strengthen its security department ahead of the planned illegal demonstrations, Harare Post can report.
A source within the MDC who preferred anonymity told this reporter that the MDC received US$2 million dollars from NED to finance the formation of an underground violent intelligence department which is to be known as the Fifth Column.
The same source went further to say the MDC is aiming to use part of the US$2 million to recruit about 1000 members of the security sector who have since retired, discharged or deserted under a false belief that they still wield influence in their former organizations.
“Members who have since retired, discharged or deserted from the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) and the police are the main targets of the MDC project,” revealed the source.
One MDC member from each or the District and Provincial structures are set to undergo training on how to recruit the retired security members. One John Samagora, has since been tasked with spearheading the operationalization of the Fifth Column project.
The MDC, with assistance of South Africa’s main opposition party, Democratic Alliance (DA), have since engaged the services of a South African security consultancy, Nitrus Security Consultants to train the members that are set to be recruited.
A paper trail in possession of this publication shows that US$ 500 000 was wired last week into Nitrus Security Consultants’ Capitec bank account.
The training program of the members set to be recruited, which is expected to last for two weeks, will focus on equipping participants with knowledge on how to weaken mobile communication systems during demos, hacking of mobile phones, surveillance, how to evade arrest, and how to create counterfeit messages among other tactics.
The venue for the training is yet to be known but there is a belief that Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House (former Harvest House) will be the venue and members are set to be trained in batches of 50 people.
This is not the first time that the MDC has formed a militia group. Since its inception, the party has formed the Democratic Resistance Committee (DRC) and, a paramilitary wing, the Vanguard which have caused a lot of chaos in the country.
Efforts to get a comment from MDC Secretary General Charlton Hwende were fruitless as his mobile phone went unanswered.
