If President Jacob Zuma thinks he is coming to Zimbabwe waving the SADC Luanda resolution and getting Zanu (PF) to comply, he better think again, because Zimbabwe's military commanders are lining up behind Zanu (PF) leaders and proclaiming a virtual coup-d’état.

Another senior officer has said they will not allow into office any leader who does not represent the ideology that they fought for.

Zimbabwe National Army Chief of Staff (Admin) Major General Trust Mugoba is the latest to say the military will not allow any politician "to reverse the gains of the liberation struggle." He has the backing of Minister of Justice, Patrick Chinamasa, a trained lawyer and negotiator who has been legitimising the military's participation in political and civil processes.

By gains of the liberation struggle he means the chaotic Zanu (PF) land reform and the indigenisation programmes under which all foreign companies are being forced to cede 51% of their shareholding to locals. It has impeded investment, leaving millions of workers without work

The so-called land reform has put large tracts of land in the hands of Zanu (PF) bosses and senior police, intelligence and military officers - most of whom have neither the farming skills nor the interest in farming.

This has left the country with a food deficit, though this is blamed on the drought, and it has left hundreds of thousands of farm-workers without homes and livelihoods.

Mugoba's claim that he is supporting the ideology which Zanla fought for during the liberation war has been disowned by, among others, Zanla commander Dzinashe Machingura who has said that Zanu (PF) is only now talking this “ideology” because it realises that it is about to lose an election.

The benefits of the land reform and the indigenisation programme are not accruing to the people, but to Zanu (PF) bigwigs using their illegally acquired income to buy shares in companies, without adding any value to the companies and therefore not expanding the economy.

Mugoba's claim that they are supporting policies of defending the country’s sovereignty and empowering ordinary Zimbabweans is not borne out because Zimbabwe's sovereignty is not under any threat as the MDC is a home-grown political party, which is supported by the majority of Zimbabweans – thus the general’s worries that it is going to take power.

Mugoba was quoted saying: “As the military, we do not only believe, but act in defense of these values and we will not respect any leader who does not respect the revolution.”

“We will not even allow them to go into office because they do not represent the ideology we fought for. As the military establishment, we have an ideology that is represented in the mission of Zanu-PF. History should teach us to defend that ideology if we are to protect the nation."

These are very nice sounding words but Maj-Gen Mugoba is simply part of the junta that has decided that rather than lose power to the MDC in the free and fair election that SADC is insisting on, they would rather carry out a preemptive coup by telling MDC supporters that they should not bother to go and vote because the military will not allow their party to rule.

Far from jealously guarding the gains of independence, which they stopped guarding as soon as Zanu (PF) went into power and started amassing wealth for its bosses only, Mugoba is jealously guarding his right to continue stealing from the people.

The bones of the freedom fighters that are scattered in the bushes across the country and in neighbouring countries will curse these fake liberators leaders who want to bring war and strife to our peace-loving motherland.

Independence granted Zimbabweans the right to determine their own destiny and they are demanding their right to do so freely, without some thugs telling them who to vote for and who not to vote for.

It is a shamelessly cynical move which President Jacob Zuma, if he is going to get anywhere with forcing the implementation of SADC resolutions, must confront head on.

He must insist that the Commander-In-Chief of the Defense Forces, President Mugabe, and the Minister of Defense Emmerson Mnangagwa, read the riot act to the military officers, in fact disciplining those who are making these alarming statements.

Mugabe and Mnangagwa’s failure to do so is the only indication that Zuma needs that the military is in fact speaking on behalf of the Zanu (PF) leaders. They are not going to come out and say that it is part of their strategy to use the military if they lose the election.

And if that is the case Zuma also needs his own big stick to ensure compliance, especially considering that the Minister of Justice not only supports the soldiers, but the Minister of Information sees it fit to publish the defiance.

But more importantly MDC supporters are not going to heed the call to throw away their vote, which they have waited for for more than 10 years.

As a people we have a right to determine our own destiny. The military are the last people to be telling us how to run the politics and economics of the country. They should leave that to the economists and the politicians and they should worry about defending the country from external enemies.