Fears have surfaced that retired military helicopters from
the South African National Defence Force will be used to prop up Robert
Mugabe's Zanu-PF.
The South African National Defence Force is about to send a
gift of helicopters and spares to its Zimbabwean counterparts, raising
the spectre they will be used in a military-backed campaign to put
President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party back in power in polls
expected this year.
The Mail & Guardian has seen the confidential minutes of a meeting in Cape Town two months ago between defence chiefs of the two countries.
Under the heading "disposal of Alouette III helicopters and spares",
the minutes noted that "the administrative processes in the SANDF have
been finalised and the equipment will soon be handed over to the ZDF
[Zimbabwe Defence Forces]".
The department of defence confirmed shortly before going to press
that "all processes for the disposal have been completed and the
airframes and spares are ready for dispatch to that country as a
donation".
Zimbabwe is scheduled to hold elections by the end of March, although
they are widely expected to be delayed for some months.
Apprehension is
building in civil society and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) that the military will step in, as
it did during the violent 2008 presidential run-off to save Mugabe.
The aged but versatile Alouette III, operated by the military in both
countries since the 1960s, would be a force multiplier for the ZDF,
providing fast access to rural areas.
Zimbabwe is under European and United States weapons sanctions,
hampering its air force's efforts to keep its handful of Alouette III
and Agusta-Bell light utility helicopters in the air.
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