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By
Agencies
A SOUTH African
spy captured by Zimbabwean counter intelligence is alleged to have been
severely tortured before agreeing to co-operate with local officials,
the Institute for Security Studies said in Pretoria on Friday.
The spy recently was nabbed by Zimbabwean Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives at Victoria Falls and under questioning, revealed the names of his collaborators within the governing Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu(PF)).
Chris Maroleng, an analyst, said the spy would not have naturally agreed to work with the Zimbabweans as they had alleged and therefore must have reached his "pain threshold". "The Zimbabwean CIO are renowned worldwide for their torture techniques and for their ability to extract information," he said today.
Maroleng said the spy, who had not been named, was involved in a high-risk operation to try and win over the head of the Zimbabwean Counter Intelligence. "It obviously failed," Maroleng said. This development would be a major blow for South Africa's foreign policy on Zimbabwe, which in the past could be described as "quiet diplomacy".
Strained relations
Maroleng said it would also severely dent personal relations between
Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president, and Thabo Mbeki, the South
African president, which at best could be described as cordial. He said
South Africa had adopted its foreign policy position following Zimbabwe's
2002 general election, after which the country's armed forces refused
to support any non Zanu(PF) government.
"South Africa realised it needed to create change from within the Zanu(PF) government as a government led by the opposition - Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) - would not be backed by the military," said Maroleng.
He said South African intelligence started creating support within the Emmerson Mnangagwa camp, who was widely seen as Mugabe's successor until he was effectively sidelined in the Zanu(PF)'s December 2004 party conference. "Mugabe created a power axis during the conference that cut out all young progressive members. He then drew support from all those with proven liberation credentials," he said.
Six senior Zanu(PF) members including a Member of Parliament have been accused of taking part in the spy ring that was allegedly providing the South African government with information on the party's affairs. According to AFP, Phillip Chiyangwa, a provincial Zanu(PF) chairperson and former Zimbabwe consul-general in South Africa, was arrested in December on charges of selling state secrets.
The state-run Herald in Zimbabwe reported Chiyangwa received US10 000 a month to pass on information to South Africa. Four other party officials are being held in Zimbabwe for violating the Official Secrets Act -- Godfrey Dzvairo, newly appointed Zimbabwe's ambassador to Mozambique, Zanu(PF)'s director for external affairs Itai Marchi, top security officer Kenny Karidza, and banker Tendai Matambandazo.
The sixth person
allegedly connected to the affair, Zimbabwean diplomat Erasmus Moyo,
reportedly escaped while being moved from Geneva to Harare. Maroleng
said South Africa would undoubtedly try and retrieve their spy but under
current conditions it would prove very difficult. "The South African
position is severely undermined by this development," said Maroleng
adding it would mean that the hard core led by Mugabe would now view
South Africa with increasing suspicion. The South African Department
of Intelligence declined to comment today. - Sapa
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