by Shongedzai Mugwagwa
Highly placed sources at the United States Embassy in Harare revealed the clandestine operation by their superiors to fund illegal demonstrations in Zimbabwe despite Government banning all public gatherings due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Harare Post can exclusively report.
The Harare Post is in possession of minutes from a secret meeting held in Harare last week, where Amalgamated Rural Teachers Association (ARTUZ) president, Obert Masaraure, met with the US Embassy officials from the Consulate Division and two International Labour Organisation (ILO) officials identified as Olav Anderson and Rueben Chepkonga.
The meeting resolved that ARTUZ would hold a weeklong demonstration from 23 March to 27 March 2020, in defiance of Government’s directive banning public gatherings.
The demonstration was given a go ahead through proxies as the American Embassy is trying hard to avoid being continuously fingered in matters of funding illegal demonstrations in sovereign states.
“A highly classified meeting was held by members from the Embassy’s Consular Division, two ILO members Olav Anderson and Rueben Chepkonga and ARTUZ president. The ILO members visited the country from 9 March to 15 March 2020 specifically for the meeting,” said the source who requested for anonymity.
The demonstration is meant to put pressure on President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his administration premised on the allegations that they have failed to address the economic situation in the country.
Apparently, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has activated its regional organising committees to mobilise its members to support the planned ARTUZ demonstration.
This is not the first time, the US Embassy in Harare has been accused of funding illegal demonstrations in the country and or to secretly cause disorder in the country. This week, one of the dailies exposed the US Ambassador Brian Nichols for his attempt to bribe Calvin Chitsunge, co-founder and chairperson of the Broad Alliance Against Sanctions (BAAS) to abandon their year-long demonstration against the US and instead protest against the Zimbabwean Government.
Meanwhile, sources revealed that MDC is likely to join the demonstrations as they are reported to have been mobilising for resources and logistics to unleash demonstrations in the country. In that respect, MDC has hired competent lawyers to defend their members if they get arrested during the planned demonstrations.
Prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, MDC sent its members to South Africa for special training in acts of banditry by a company called Nitrous Security Consultancy. The company is being funded by Atlas which originates from Brazil.
This is not the first time MDC members have received clandestine training in acts of banditry, it is believed, the 2018 and 2019 demonstrations were a result of such training.
