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Army commanders who led President Robert Mugabe’s violent re-election campaign have taken delivery of all-terrain luxury vehicles at a time when millions of Zimbabweans face starvation.
Sources say the army chiefs were recently allocated brand new all-terrain twin-cab Toyota Hilux Vigos as official vehicles to add to their ever increasing fleet of luxury cars. The 4 X 4 vehicles, worth more than US$30 000, are similar to the ones recently allocated to High Court judges by the Reserve Bank. "Mugabe is rewarding the army chiefs who stood by him in his greatest hour of need after he suffered a humiliating defeat in the first round of voting on March 29," an army source said. Top security chiefs pledged their undying loyalty to Mugabe and even threatened to prevent MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, from taking power if he defeated Mugabe in the elections. Soldiers played a decisive role in ensuring Mugabe won the vote by establishing torture camps throughout the country. They allegedly commanded ruling party militias who led a sustained campaign of intimidation and harassment against the rural electorate, which eventually forced Tsvangirai to pull out of the June 27 presidential election run-off. Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander, General Constantine Chiwenga, reacted angrily when contacted for comment about the latest purchase of luxury vehicles by the army. He said he did not "comment on army issues in the press" before switching off his mobile phone. A fortnight ago Mugabe rewarded members of the powerful Joint Operations Command (JOC), who were fingered in the pre-election violence that left over 100 MDC supporters dead and thousands displaced. Retired brigadier generals, Happyton Bonyongwe, Paradzai Zimondi and Richard Ruwodo all received medals for their contribution to Mugabe’s June 27 election victory. Bonyongwe who is the director of the Central Intelligence Organisation and Zimondi who heads the prison service both sit on the JOC. JOC, which also includes Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri and Air Marshall Perrence Shiri, is headed by Chiwenga. By Nqobani Ndlovu
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