ED Has To "Divide And Rule" To Stay In Power - Analysts

Several analysts have come out to say ED rewarding the military and not rewarding other civil servants is because his ascension to the throne was highly facilitated by the army, therefore, he needs to keep them in check to stay in power.

These remarks came a few days after ED promised security forces a cushioning allowance during his defence forces  day speech when he said:

My administration remains committed to improving the conditions of service of our armed forces. My government is aware that our defence force is equally affected by economic difficulties faced by the general citizenry. Efforts are at an advanced stage to reintroduce the military salary concept

Several analysts commending on the issue had this to say to the Daily News :

Dewa Mavhinga:

Pampering the army with salary upgrades may very well be a way of appeasing the army to keep the soldiers happy in the hope that another military coup will not happen. Put differently, this can be viewed as a brazen attempt to bribe those who wield the guns and, therefore, the real political authority.

Other civil servants have been left out because they do not have guns and are viewed as less of a threat to the political authority of Mnangagwa. It is a politically calculated manoeuvre which is unlikely to help much, although it may work in the short term

Thabani Moyo from the Crisis Coalition In Zimbabwe said:

Zimbabwe has a structural challenge, a system that is not fit for purpose so to speak, to attend to symptoms is missing the point by wide margins. Address the politics, the economy and social service delivery and then you can say we are leading.Otherwise, the country is burning and the leadership fiddles, cherry picking areas to pay homage to at the expense of long term, inclusive and sustainable growth

Piers Pigou a renowned political analyst also said:

His elevation to power was contingent on military support. His continued stay in office may well require their acquiescence. With limited funds to play with, this move exposes the importance to Mnangagwa of maintaining stability. While this should not surprise anyone; it does reflect a stark pecking order of priority. It is unlikely though that the military are the only prioritised beneficiaries.

Another political analyst Maxwell Saungweme had this to say:

Recent events elsewhere have shown that the people and not the army are supreme — Sudan, Algeria and Egypt are cases in point. No matter how much he pampers the army, as long as economic fundamentals are not right the military won’t forestall a people’s revolution whose time has come

Vivid Gwede yet another political analyst said:

The government is making sure that there is divide and rule between security forces and the rest of civil servants in order to contain the simmering unrest over salary erosion. If fact, the government banks on having the workers in the security institutions at the forefront of suppressing their fellow workers in other sectors and their unions for example the education sector. Thus, the old clarion call that workers of the world must unite regardless of where they work cannot have been more appropriate than now in Zimbabwe

Admire Mare a well known Political Analyst also said:

One can postulate, it may be to do with the role in the military assisted transition but also it’s possible that for the maintenance of law and order the government feels that the army deserves more attention especially in light of calls by the opposition for citizens to take part in elections. Obviously, it would be foolhardy of us to expect equal pay and treatment among government employees, their packages are likely to differ based on sector and other considerations.

Rashweat Mukundu one of the popular analysts in Harare also said:

The pillar of Zanu PF is the military and its interests are taken care of above all because without the military the ruling party would collapse

MDCT Vice president Obert Gutu said the president is obviously aware that the socio-economic crisis is affecting everyone and not the armed forces only:

The military doesn’t exist in isolation. A happy and well-fed military, complemented by a happy and well-fed civilian population, is a prerequisite for political and socio-economic stability

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