Mugabe refuses to disband notorious JOC

http://www.nehandaradio.com
By Denford Magora

Zimbabwe's dictator, Robert Mugabe and his security chiefs have refused to
disband JOC (the Joint Operations Command, which was at the forefront of
strategising Mugabe's retention of power in the chaotic aftermath of the
March elections in 2008).

Instead, JOC still sits regularly, thumbing its nose at the Inclusive
Government. The meetings, some of which I have reported here before, are
mainly held in two places: at State House, which Mugabe now uses as his
preferred office after moving his family to his mansion in Helensvale,
Borrowdale, a minute's drive from Gideon Gono's house, just off Carrick
Creagh Road) or at the house in Highlands that I have mentioned here before.

The Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed by Mugabe, Tsvangirai and
Mutambara commits to the creation of a National Security Council, on which
Tsvangirai is guaranteed a seat.

The Service Chiefs and Mugabe have simply ensured that the Security Council
never meets.

The MDC-T made the mistake of assuming that the creation of a National
Security Council meant the disbanding of JOC.

The agreement says nothing about disbanding JOC. Based on this, the Service
Chiefs and Mugabe have said the continued meetings of JOC are legal and not
in violation of the agreement. Technically, they are correct. The letter of
the agreement certainly indicates this. But only if you are being legalistic
and insincere.

The spirit of the same agreement, however, suggests that the body should not
even be meeting anymore.

Meantime, the MDC-T has been reduced to demanding that the National Security
Council meets "without further delay".

They bemoaned the failure by the Council to meet in their Resolution this
past Sunday, the one in which they said they had referred the matter to
SADC. (Another cock-up I shall be discussing in detail in a later posting
this evening).

I also know for a fact that the Prime Minister "invited" the Service Chiefs
to have a cup with them for familiarisation purposes and got back the
following response (within the day):

"We don't report to a Prime Minister. Send your request through our
Commander-in Chief (President Mugabe)."

It is not known whether Tsvangirai put his request to Mugabe in their
one-on-one Monday meetings, but the fact that he has failed to meet the
Service Chiefs to date says a lot.

As I told you around the time Tsvangirai was sworn in (and I was told that I
was dreaming and was wrong, the tide had turned etc), Mugabe was clear from
the outset that Tsvangirai had to be kept as far away from the Defence
Forces as possible.

The Prime Minister, who keeps telling us about hardliners and how Mugabe is
such a dandy chap, needs to look no further than Mugabe to find the gang
leader of these "residual elements".

So far, he is insisting that he needs Mugabe in order to give Zimbabweans a
solution.

Denford Magora is also the spokesman for the Mavambo Movement led by
President Dr. Simba Makoni, who ran for President last year. His blog can be
accessed on http://denfordmagora.blogspot.com/