Baba Jukwa
Herald Reporters—
TWO South Africa-based Zimbabwean journalists who hackers exposed to be part of the syndicate running the controversial Baba Jukwa Facebook page, Mkhululi Chimoio and Mxolisi Ncube, had close ties with MDC-T treasurer-general Mr Roy Bennett, it has emerged. “Baba Jukwa” plotted civil war in Zimbabwe, while Mr Bennet has been linked with similar allegations and has been tried in court in connection with knowledge of illegal arms caches, though he was acquitted of the charges.
Mr Bennett is in self-imposed exile in South Africa after the arms cache trial, and was subsequently in contact with “Baba Jukwa” who was plotting civil strife through a platform called the Zimbabwe Patriotic Force for Democracy (Zipafod).
Hackers have exposed correspondence between “Baba Jukwa” and “Sahwira waJukwa” over supply of materials for an information campaign. Asked about the relationship with Mr Bennett last night, Ncube referred all questions to lawyer and MDC-T stalwart, Mr Obert Gutu.
Mr Gutu said he was unaware of the relationship with Mr Bennett, but had instructions to institute legal action against The Herald, The Sunday Mail and the New Zimbabwe.com over the “Baba Jukwa” email hacks.
“We are going to make a formal demand that they make a prominent retraction of that defamatory story and make a formal and unconditional apology to my clients,” Mr Gutu said.
Legal experts yesterday said should the Baba Jukwa syndicate approach the courts, the affected individuals would get the chance to grill the syndicate.
“It will be like a thief approaching a police station to tell his story,” said one legal expert who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In 2007, Mr Bennett was implicated in an arms cache that was discovered in Mutare. The MDC-T man served in the Rhodesia Light Infantry and has for long been named as a key figure and financier of opposition politics, starting with the Conservative Alliance of Zimbabwe (an offshoot of the Rhodesian Front) in the late 1980s and the then MDC at the turn of the millennium.
On the other hand, hacked emails show “Baba Jukwa” plotting Zipafod’s destabilisation of Zimbabwe. Zipafod is described as a “guerilla/rebel movement/army” based in South Africa with a Mr George Chirakashe as its secretary for administration, communications and public relations.
Yesterday, the telephone number given in the e-mails was not being answered, but the hacked e-mail says peaceful protests had failed to put MDC-T in power and it was time to take up arms.
They sought to “(E)stablish receiving, screening and training bases as well as deployment/infiltration points in Zimbabwe’s neighbours i.e Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique” and to “(D)estroy or seriously damage all . . . potential sources of funds and assets such as companies and buildings etc. (Which) includes rendering Marange diamond fields unworkable”.
They plotted to attack military and intelligence bases and “lobby for the establishment of a no fly zone over Zimbabwe”.
“It is envisaged that from the date of commencing attacks as per the above described method a maximum of two years is what it will take for the regime to be brought to its knees and capitulate,” the allegedly said.
They tied their objectives closely to those of the United States in Zimbabwe, and asked donors for “funds”, “armaments”, “trainers” and “strategists”; as well as diplomatic support.
For the period 2013-2014, they said they would need:
US$2 million for a television and radio channel;
US$1,3 million for transport;
US$15 million for combatants’ rations and clothing;
US$11,5 million for armaments and munitions;
US$750 000 for medical supplies;
US$250 000 for travel and subsistence;
US$43 200 for executives’ allowances;
US$550 000 for salaries and package for specialist trainers
US$600 000 for screening/recruitment, training, infiltration/deployment base rentals and infrastructure.
The total budget was no less than US$32 million. They projected “that at end of 12 months from campaign launch total number of Zipafod combatants will stand at 7 500 starting off at 1 500”.
The budget included two Jeep Cherokees “for use by the executive committee and all incidental expenses thereto”.