Christine Lethokuhle Mabhena
In recent weeks, the security services in Zimbabwe have been on high alert after unearthing anarchist shenanigans of activists who belong to a group of shady organisations who have been working hand-in-glove with foreigners such the Serbian-based organisation, Center for Applied NonViolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS) and the American Embassy in Harare.
The arrest of seven (7) activists at the Robert Mugabe International Airport who took part in a ‘regime change’ workshop in Maldives is a strong warning to political party leaders such as Nelson Chamisa and other individuals who have been agitating and inciting violent demonstrations.
The continued efforts by these shameful donor-money-seeking activists is nothing new in our national politics. They engage in futile efforts to overthrow the Government, rather than focusing on their mandate as civic society.
Since the formation of the Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) in 1999, many regime change plots against the Government of the day have been initiated by various western sponsored activists have come and gone.
In 2003, the late MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, began a week long protest dubbed the ‘final push for freedom’ which was intended to remove former president, Robert Mugabe from office. Tsvangirai and his acolytes failed dismally.
In 2008, another prominent activist, Jestina Mukoko, made waves through her Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) was accused of recruiting or attempting to recruit people for military training to topple the Government.
Fast forward to 2016- 2017 protests, a new breed of activists came through. The likes of Pastor Evan Mawarire of the #ThisFlag movement, Promise Mkhwananzi of Tajamuka, Sten Zvoradza of National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe, Silvanos Mudzova of the Zimbabwe Yadzoka and Occupy Africa Unity Square (OAUS), among others.
They all agitated for the illegal overthrow of the Government, until a time when all their endeavours fizzled out. Some such as Pastor Evan Mawarire ran away to the United States of America, leaving his legion of supporters disappointed as he had failed to accomplish his mission.
In 2019, another set of activists such as George Makoni of the Centre for Community Development Trust, Nyasha Frank Mpahlo of Transparency International Zimbabwe, Tatenda Mombeyarara of the Citizens Manifesto and Gamuchirai Mukura of Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development Trust, Farirai Gumbonzvanda, a girls’ rights activist and community volunteer with the Rozaria Memorial Trust, Stabile Dewa of Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence and Rita Nyampinga of the Female Prisoners Support Trust have offered themselves to dine with the devil in the machinations to topple President Mnangagwa’s government.
So daring were the activists that they even forgot that the long arm of the law would soon catch up with them as they have been unrelenting in their quest to get more donor funds through dubious means to keep up appearances of their expensive lifestyles.
On 15 – 19 May 2019, the activists travelled to Maldives to attend a CANVAS basic course training workshop on peaceful resistance and civil disobedience a euphemism for violent protest agitation. They were capacitated on ‘non-violent protest tactics’ against Governments.
Unfortunately, the activists’ efforts went down the drain as the alert Zimbabwe security forces got wind of the regime change plots and thwarted the threat before it was executed and manifested into an uprising reminiscent of the 2011 Arab Spring.
Following the expose’ of the mischiefs by these so called activists, what is left to be seen is whether they will disband their evil machinations bent on destabilising a democratically elected Government under the able-leadership of President Mnangagwa.
