Wakanda News Details

Filling the void at Foreign Affairs

By Alex T. Magaisa It is probably not what he would have wanted, but his place in the annals of history will forever be that landmark moment in the early hours of November 15, 2017. Clad in military fatigues, he sat authoritatively in front of the national broadcaster’s cameras and broke the announcement to the nation. It was a sight that Zimbabweans had seen in news bulletins depicting scenes in some country far away. But the unthinkable was happening right at their doorstep. A coup was in motion. Within a few days, Zimbabwe’s long-serving ruler, Robert Mugabe would be out of office, toppled by his lieutenants and erstwhile votaries. It was a dramatic moment that marked the end of an era. A little over three years after that eventful morning, the man who made that announcement died in Harare, succumbing to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, SB Moyo, as he was widely known, held the rank of Major General. He would leave the barracks for the diplomatic corridors after the coup as Lieutenant General. His appearance on ZBC TV that morning was not surprising. News had already filtered through since late afternoon of the previous day, that something was happening in Harare. Military vehicles had been seen on the major arterial roads leading into Harare. There were already whispers that a coup was happening. The only question was when the announcement would be made. And by whom. Therefore, when two soldiers in military regalia eventually appeared on national television, it was merely the fulfilment of what earlier events had foretold. Still, the amount of chutzpah required for that act of announcement cannot be overstated. Had the coup collapsed, and there were moments when it appeared to be very precarious. Who can forget the Asante Sana night, when the wily Mugabe made a television appearance at which many expected him to announce his resignation? The old man arrived long after the scheduled hour and when he did, he delivered an anti-climax, which left the watching world perplexed. He had refused to throw in the towel. It is almost certain that if the coup had failed, Moyo and his co-conspirators would have spent the rest of their lives in prison —if they had survived at all. Although he was a key member of the military establishment, few outside the barracks had even heard of his name. More meticulous observers of Zimbabwean politics knew him and not necessarily in generous light. His name had appeared in a UN investigative report alongside the alleged looting crew in the DRC where the Zimbabwean military had been involved during the Kabila years. Zimbabwe’s military and political elites had harvested great personal fortunes in that war which claimed the lives of many young troops. The name had also appeared in reports concerning egregious violence orchestrated and led by members of the military during the campaign for the presidential run-off election in 2008. But to the majority of Zimbabweans, the name was largely unfamiliar until the coup. He became the coup announcer, a celebrity in the euphoric atmosphere of the

You may also like

More from NewsDay Zimbabwe - Everyday News for Everyday People

Literature Facts

Arts Facts