SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe
The government has bought new military equipment, raising fears of a looming clampdown, according to the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper.
This latest equipment forms part of an assortment of military trucks, armoured vehicles and anti-riot gear, purchased over the past 18 months.
The multi-million dollar consignment arrived in Harare Monday evening through the Masvingo Road under a heavy police escort with lights and sirens blazing, heading in the direction of 2.2 Infantry Battalion in Mudzi, the Independent said.
In August, just before ZANU PF was declared winner of the disputed July 31st poll, police positioned two anti-riot tanks on a Harare spot previously used by the opposition MDC-T for its rallies.
At the time, some observers said this was a pre-emptive move by the police in view of the simmering anger at the way the elections were conducted.
Last year a similar purchase of armoured vehicles, combat vehicles, military radios and teargas raised concerns within opposition circles that ZANU PF was using public resources to fund its war chest instead of improving social welfare.
“The MDC is highly alarmed and slams the pointless purchase of arms of war by the Ministry of Defence between April and July this year. The MDC suspects that the arms were purchased from diamond revenues which are being illegally diverted from Marange fields,” a statement from the MDC-T party said.
Political analyst Nhlanhla Dube said the government was being irresponsible in purchasing such expensive equipment when the economy is non-functional.
“There is nothing wrong with the government replacing obsolete military hardware for example. But to prioritise this over dilapidated schools, hospital wards, and civil servants’ salaries is putting the wrong foot forward,” Dube said.
“More than two million Zimbabweans are starving, and a million dollars could go a long way towards feeding primary school children for example.
“It is shocking that a government that is as broke as ours will prioritise military equipment because there are certainly no evident threats to suggest that the country needs to defend itself militarily,” Dube added.
The police and the army control a significant stake in the Marange Diamond fields, and proceeds from diamond sales could have funded the purchase of this military equipment.
“It’s not necessarily the source of the money that is questionable but the immorality of these purchases at a time when some civil servants haven’t received their bonuses and the government has delayed announcing the budget because there is no money to budget,” Dube said.
SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa said it was possible that the ZANU PF government was anticipating civil unrest arising from the worsening economic conditions and hence the anti-riot gear, to quell any such moves.