By Leopold Munhende
MTHULISI Hanana, the director of the Dumiso Dabengwa Foundation is on the run, officials at Zapu have claimed.
Hanana reportedly slipped out of the country after being tailed by suspected State security agents for days in the aftermath of the death of national hero and liberation war stalwart Dabengwa.
Zapu spokesperson Iphithule Maphosa confirmed Hanana was on the run.
“It is true that the director of DD Foundation has been a target of suspected state security agents, following his speech at DD’s memorial at White City.
“While we are not sure of his whereabouts, we are hopeful of his and his family’s safety,” Maphosa said.
Dabengwa died last month in Nairobi, Kenya enroute to Zimbabwe after receiving treatment in India. He was declared a national hero but was laid to rest in his Ntabazinduna rural home according to his dying wish.
In his speech at Dabengwa’s burial, Hanana appealed to the late former Zipra intelligence supremo’s spirit to “notify” dead liberation war heroes that Zimbabwe’s black government has gone rogue.
“Tell Father Zimbabwe (late Vice President Joshua Nkomo), (Josiah Zanla defence chief) Tongogara and (Solomon) Mujuru (late former Commander Defence Forces) that the army now assists in political transitions and now shoots civilians,” said Hanana.
Current Commander Defence Forces Philip Valerio Sibanda was part of the mourners addressed by Hanana.
Before his flight, Hanana had posted on his Facebook wall a cryptic message: “They come. They park in front of my house. They smoke. They talk to no one. Then they drive away.”
Maphosa said since Dabengwa’s burial, party officials have been stalked by members of the Central Intelligence Organisation and Military Intelligence (MI).
Mnangagwa came to power in November 2017 on the back of a military coup in a self deployed move code named Operation Restore Legacy that forced then President Robert Mugabe to resign.
In the aftermath of the elections last year, the army was deployed to quell protests and killed six people. Mnangagwa deployed the army again in January this year after violent protests rocked the country over a 150% fuel price hike. At least 17 people were killed with dozens left with gaping gunshot wounds.
Said Maphosa: “We have received complaints from a number of Zapu leaders who are being followed around and monitored since the death and funeral of president Dumiso Dabengwa. It is a precarious situation but we are not deterred.
“We have survived the worst before, as Zapu we survived the Gukurahundi. There isn’t anything worse the system can do to us.”
Dabengwa left the ruling Zanu PF party in 2008 to revive Zapu arguing the 1987 Unity Accord signed between Mugabe and Nkomo had failed.
