adminby MDC-T against them in the recent past.
Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa also presented a report clarifying the purported presence of army personnel in rural areas.
The MDC-T has been claiming that soldiers have been deployed in rural areas to intimidate people ahead of elections scheduled to be held this year or early next year.
Sources privy to the details of the NSC meeting yesterday said the meeting was held in a jovial mood with no fireworks as had been widely reported and expected to happen by the private media.
“There was nothing of substance really . . . it was just a routine meeting. Not even the issue of Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba’s comments was raised except for the MDC-T who tried to raise the issue of the murder of the police officer (Inspector Petros Mutedza), saying their people were being arrested.
“They were told that the police were only arresting suspects and not hunting MDC-T people,” the source said.
Brig-Gen Nyikayaramba last week reiterated that he would not serve under a leadership without liberation war credentials and was working with the country’s enemies to reverse the gains of independence.
Suspected MDC-T youths murdered Inspector Mutedza after the police had come to disperse them for holding an illegal political gathering in Glen View 3 on Sunday.
Another source who attended the meeting said: “We had a short discussion on MDC-T accusations that the police had banned their rallies but Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri said there was nothing like that.
“We also talked about the allegations of the soldiers having been deployed in the rural areas to intimidate voters but Minister Mnangagwa gave a report indicating that some of the mentioned people were retired soldiers that had relocated to their rural homes.
“Minister Mnangagwa said some of the soldiers could be those officers on leave who are free to visit their rural homes.”
The source added that the NSC discussed general national security matters.
Minister Mnangagwa yesterday said even the so-called security sector reforms that the MDC-T had been clamouring for were not raised.
“We had our NSC meeting today (yesterday), the role of the NSC is to formulate policy on national security issues.
“The question for national security sector reform was not discussed because it is not a policy issue.
“The issue that was discussed was how we can equip our defence forces to safeguard our nation from any problems that might arise from within or outside the country,” he said.
The NSC meeting was the first one in two months and the private media had heightened expectations that the MDC-T would take on the service chiefs head on.
The party has also attempted in vain to have the issue discussed in the ongoing inter party talks.
The Sadc facilitator, South African President Jacob Zuma’s mediation team rebuffed this attempt because it was not part of the Global Political Agreement.
The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, President Mugabe chairs the NSC.
Other members include the two Vice-Presidents, the Prime Minister, the two Deputy Prime Ministers and the ministers responsible for Finance, National Security, Justice and Legal Affairs and service chiefs.
Online Reporter