By Tendai Matunhu
The top five MDC Youth Assembly leaders are conniving to stage violent demonstrations that will lead to the destruction of property and lives, the Harare Post reports.
Speaking to this publication on condition of anonymity, a source said the plot was hatched during a caucus meeting that was attended by MDC Youth Assembly Chairperson Obey Sithole, MDC Secretary General Gift ‘Ostallos’ Siziba, MDC Spokesperson Steven Chuma, Secretary for International Relations and Cooperative Takunda Tsunga and Secretary for Local Government and Devolution Arthur Masiya.
Addressing his fellow plotters, Sithole informed that they had cancelled the Yellow Vest demonstrations because of the heavy presence of security in the capital. They therefore decided to decentralise the demonstrations to all towns, cities and growth points.
Sithole went on to say that if they decentralise, it would weaken the security forces which they say is under resourced. He said the demonstrations would be sporadic and spontaneous and will be spearheaded by the revived Democratic Resistant Committees (DRCs).
According to the source, the architects of the DRCs will be going to Sweden in Orebro where they would be trained on ‘low intensity sabotage program.’ He said a Swedish organisation would be funding the training on weapon handling, sabotage and sustaining demonstrations among others skills.
The source said the Swedish training will be like the one that some MDC members and other activists went through in Maldives, where they were trained by a Serbian organisation, the Centre for Applied Non-violent Action and Strategies (CANVAS).
Sithole reportedly said that the demonstrations would involve vandalism of vital installations like railway lines, mobile network base stations, signal equipment and burning ZUPCO buses.
The move is expected to cripple the economy and drain the fiscus, thereby forcing Zanu PF to the negotiating table.
According to the source, the MDC Treasurer General, David Coltart and the Swedish donor are going to fund the operations. MDC Secretary General Charlton Hwende and Secretary for Presidential Affairs responsible for Strategy and Planning, Murisi Zwizwai also pledged substantial amounts of money towards the sabotage activities.
According to the source, the demonstrations will degenerate into food riots, where they will target shops of well-known Zanu PF members and sympathisers. He said according to the plan, if Zanu PF did not agree to go to the negotiating table, it will escalate the riots to civil war.
