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Gibson Nyikadzino
Correspondent
The import of this argument is to put all nationalist progressives on high alert of the impending danger that is on the doorstep of this country.
The year is 1959, November, that the CIA creates a division only dedicated for Africa. Its goal was not to help Africa unite, but to keep Africans with a strong suspicion towards each other that was defined by mistrusts.
In essence, the CIA, even today is working to maintain nations disunited.
Through various front organisations including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), “think tanks” and “democracy” crusaders, the CIA has been inciting division and confrontation, and to meddle in internal affairs of sovereign countries causing catastrophic consequences.
Susan Williams, a British researcher, is of the view that the CIA’s brief in Africa was to, by any means imaginable and unimaginable, secure American power across the continent.
For over two decades now, the US government has used democracy as a tool and a weapon to undermine democracy in the name of democracy here in Zimbabwe.
In some countries, like Zimbabwe, the CIA funds various covert operations planned and executed in the name of democracy.
It is unforgettable how the CIA in 2011 conducted a fake polio drive in Pakistan using NGOs to gain intelligence information in the lead up to Osama bin-Laden’s assassination.
In Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, who was once recognised as the “interim leader” of the Latin American country by more than 50 European governments who were pushing an anti-Maduro sentiment, has an interestingly negative association with the CIA.
Before attending a US university, Guaidó in 2005 was among Venezuelan “student leaders” who went to Serbia to be trained for insurrection, a programme that was funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
Guaidó and his colleagues returned to Venezuela holding extremist political views that made them negatively influence young citizens to take part in violent street political activities.
Last year, NED led anti-Cuba sentiments by using locals to fabricate and spread disinformation via social media platforms that the Cuban health system was overwhelmed by Covid-19 patients.
This caused public panic and it stoked public sentiments against government.
Even in Africa, reports indicate Uganda’s Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu also known as Bobbie Wine, received training on “regime subversion” in the US in 2018 at the invitation of NED.
It was not courage when he also led confrontational politics and skirmishes with law enforcement agents nor when he was under house arrest, the Museveni administration was separating contact between him and NED, after it had helped him with counsel during his 2021 presidential campaign.
This script is also familiar in Zimbabwe.
At one instance, there was an over-sensationalised cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe that was used to create public panic.
In another instance, Mr Nelson Chamisa also declared himself as the leader of Zimbabwe and being ‘sworn in’ by his colleagues while propagating extremist political views similar to those Guaidó was indoctrinated in Serbia.
Even the “student leaders” in Zimbabwe have been also trained in violent street protests that were agitated by groups such as Tajamuka.
In another instance, there was a creation that the health care system had “exploded” and “all medical practitioners are fleeing” the country for greener pastures.
People like Obey Sithole and Netsai Marowa in the opposition CCC left Zimbabwe as fugitives and are being housed in the belly of Western European capitals where they are being cultivated for aggressive anti-Zimbabwe views.
Western literature has laid bare how unclean the CIA and the NED methods and strategies are bad for national unity after their ‘successful’ attempts in keeping Africa divided.
By keeping a trail of what the CIA and NED do, they weaponise the social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to promote anti-Zimbabwe sentiments using local NGOs.
Even so, world opinion has been manipulated by the CIA and NED using NGOs by creating extensive networks that include newspapers, publishing houses and news services to weaponise information.
In Zimbabwe, most NGOs have learnt and stuck on to the CIA and NED’s philosophy which is “discredit, disrupt, and destroy”.
Commercialising misinformation
A tourist friend, whose first destination in Africa was Zimbabwe, last month questioned the influx on anti-Zimbabwe news on the internet after having found how peaceful and welcoming Zimbabwe’s geography and citizens are.
She visited Victoria Falls, Masvingo and had some sight-seeing experiences in urban Harare.
Her explanation was: “The strong presence of negative news about Zimbabwe on the internet is a damage that can leave a huge economic scar on your country towards national recovery.”
The commercialisation of misinformation and disinformation in Zimbabwe has left many diseased with the ailment of lies and negativity.
Misinformation and disinformation have led to the fake news epidemic in Zimbabwe that needs a bold step to address legislatively, conventionally and consciously.
Ahead of the 2023 harmonised elections, local NGOs on NED’s payroll have already started conducting ‘research’ and publishing ‘legitimate reports’ about the political situation in Zimbabwe.
A 2017 report by the NGO called Freedom House found out that manipulation and disinformation tactics play key roles in misleading people, swaying public opinion and fomenting hostilities among citizens by promoting disunity.
Of concern is to understand why most NGOs operating in Zimbabwe do not espouse values and ethos that are defined in the Constitution.
It is because they are constituted of people who have agreed to be manipulated to export American and Western values, desire to conduct subversion and incite so-called “democratic movements” Zimbabwe.
They are essentially serving US strategic interests which they can serve even through misinformation, lies, technical and information chaos, disinformation and fake news.
Legislate and regulate?
When President Putin actioned Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February, the impact of Russia’s actions was even felt in sport.
Russians in Western Europe became targets of governments that opposed Russia, especially one Roman Abramovich.
Because he is Russian, Russophobia was propagated until the British government arrived at a decision to institute legislation that made it ‘lawful’ to confiscate his properties, without any consideration given to “property rights”.
The takeover of Chelsea and other properties he had were legitimised and according to the law, all things were done above board.
A January 2021 report by the Parliamentary Assembly of the European Council on Restrictions on NGO activities in Council of Europe member States in which they agreed that there has to be imposed obligations on NGOs damaging Europeanism.
The report also pointed that impositions can be put on NGOs “for the purpose of combating terrorism or money laundering or preventing foreign political influence”.
This is the EU’s position that it agreed to legislate.
Zimbabwe as a sovereign state also needs to look at how “for the purpose of combating terrorism or money laundering or preventing foreign political influence” it can speedily look at the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) amendment Bill.
NGO operations are legal, but also legislating how they operate should also be legal especially when the goal is to prevent foreign political influence.
If left unchecked, the values, interests and views they hold will remain a danger on our doorstep and a threat to our great Zimbabwean civilisation.
America, through NED, which is the ‘second CIA’, is cultivating extremist organisations that need the ‘neutrality act’ to diffuse the interests of those they represent.
Online Reporter