Farai Mabeza
The ruling Zanu-PF party has threatened to expel the United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brain Nichols, for allegedly undermining the Republic as tensions over the proposed July 31 protests continue to increase.
Addressing journalists at the Zanu-PF headquarters party acting spokesman, Patrick Chinamasa, accused Nichols of, among a litany of other allegations, behaving like a “super diplomat” describing the American diplomat as a thug.
“The US ambassador who I am told is African American; he must be ashamed of himself, totally ashamed of himself.
“What has the United States by way of values and human rights observance when his own African American people are treated like rats in full view of world media and he remains an Uncle Tom used by the establishment to propagate values which they themselves don’t practice on their own people.
“He continues to engage in acts of undermining this republic. And if he continues to engage in acts of undermining the republic, mobilising and funding disturbances, coordinating violence and training insurgency, our leaders will not hesitate to give him marching orders.
“Diplomats should not behave like thugs and Brian Nichols is a thug. We remind Nichols that he is not a super diplomat in this country. There are several diplomats that are seconded to this republic from the African Union member countries and the world over. They have never masqueraded and pretended to be our prefects as what Mr Nichols is doing. I want to repeat we have nothing to learn from the United States.”
Chinamasa said Zanu-PF believes that the July 31 protests called by Transform Zimbabwe president Jacob Ngarivhume and supported by MDC Alliance and other civil society organisations were part of the United States’ plan to “separate Zimbabweans from Zanu-PF”.
“It was proposed by United States former assistant secretary of state for Africa, Chester Crocker, whose strategy was to ‘make the Zimbabwean economy scream’ through sanctions and in the process ‘separate Zanu-PF from the people’.
“That’s what all this social media hullabaloo and threats of demonstrations is all about. Its intended to separate Zanu-PF from the people. What these detractors don’t know is that Zanu PF’s relationship with the people has been watered in blood. It’s unbreakable, unshakeable,” he said.
He ominously called on Zanu-PF supporters not to be sitting ducks during the planned protests.
“Use any means at your disposal to defend yourselves.”
He accused MDC Alliance of fanning violence even during the 2018 election campaign in which he said Zanu-PF presidential candidate, President Mnangagwa preached peace in contrast to his rivals before giving another ominous warning that violence would lead to death.
“President Mnangagwa preached peace while Chamisa and cohorts preached violence during the 2018 election campaign Having been and he (President Mnangagwa) being an armed soldier himself he knows the consequences of violence. Death will ensue”.
The opposition has called for the July 31 action to protest against the deepening economic crisis and perceived corruption of state officials, and demand that President Mnangagwa step down.
