Understanding Pseudo-operations in politics

1. Dealing with an authoritarian regime is tricky business. In war, there’s a thing called pseudo operations. This is where the army creates teams that are disguised as guerrillas in order to penetrate guerrilla-controlled units.
2. Pseudo-operators pretend to be guerrillas. People unwittingly accept them as “our own”. But they gather intelligence. They might do damage which is attributed to the side they are pretending to be. The Selous Scouts were masters at this during the 1970s liberation war.
3. Some of the most devastating massacres, such as Nyadzon’a were a result of these counterinsurgency operations led by pseudo operators. Some pseudo operators were “turned guerrillas” the most infamous of them being Morrison Nyathi. Pseudo operations didn’t stop after the war.
4. They were used during #Gukurahundi in the 1980s as some military units were organised as pseudo-dissidents. They dressed like dissidents & collected intelligence or did despicable damage as dissidents which was then used to justify formal state operations & restrictions.
5. These military-style operations are also used in politics. It’s not pseudo-dissidents anymore but pseudo-opposition and pseudo-civil society activists. They operate in the public spaces where everyone is, even attacking & challenging the regime until they gain your trust.
6. They become part of the pro-democracy movement. But one day they just disappear and you wonder what happened to him or her? Was he or she not one of us? He or she was a pseudo-opposition member. They were on a mission. Some of them are so quiet you will never know them.
7. There pseudo operators on social media. They sow divisions. They cause fights. If they see you as a potential threat, they attack you in the name of the opposition. And you say why are my comrades attacking me? You have probably encountered this. They are not your comrades!
8. Sometimes there’s a genuine conflict within the opposition as there was between ZANLA & ZIPRA during the war. The pseudo operators take advantage of that and might back one over the other to intensify the rift. Watch them “like”, “retweet” & comment on incendiary tweets.
9. Moral of the thread: Be vigilant . Some friends and associates aren’t who they seem to be. Be sure whom you’re sharing information with. They might even offer you first. True, it’s sad to have to live this way but authoritarian terrain is like walking in a field of landmines.
10. You have to develop a smart antenna. Pick signals. Protect yourself at all times. There are few things worse than realising you let someone betray you because you trusted them. It happens to all of us. But at least know that there are pseudo operators out there.

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More from @Wamagaisa

3 Sep
1. This man reminds me of Unoka in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. His son Okonkwo was embarrassed by him. He was perennially in debt & didn’t care. He was lazy and constantly borrowing from friends and neighbours. He didn’t pay back. Always looking for favours.
2. One day a creditor came to collect his debt. Unoka dismissed him. “Look at that wall," Unoka said pointing to the wall of his hut. "Look at those lines of chalk". Okoye, the creditor saw groups of lines drawn in chalk.
3. Unoka took some snuff & sneezed dramatically & said, “Each group there represents a debt to someone and each stroke is one hundred cowries. You see, I owe that man a thousand cowries. But he has not come to wake me up in the morning for it. I shall pay you, but not today”
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25 Aug
Covid, Education & Politics

1. That the COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked havoc & caused immense disruption around the world is common cause. That humanity must learn to live with COVID-19 is also apparent because it’s not going to go away anytime soon.
2. Therefore the tough restrictions that were imposed in many states are now getting lifted as more people get vaccinated & other measures are developed to deal with the pandemic. Humans are social animals & they can’t be kept in enclosures for too long without causing problems.
3. However, for some states that are ruled by authoritarian regimes, the pandemic is an opportunity. It provides justification for maintaining restrictions on citizens. Therefore while some states are trying to lift restrictions, others are keen to maintain them.
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22 Aug
1. For some folks, hammering the opposition is their version of objectivity. When challenged they cry foul. But there’s a choice: create a space that best expresses your version of a better Zimbabwe. The MDC Alliance doesn’t have a monopoly in opposition. Create new spaces.
2. If the MDC Alliance is as bad & clueless as claimed, surely that means their alternatives have a good chance, no? Dougie has his party & even announced a shadow cabinet. Any comments or affirmation? No. Zero. Madhuku & co have POLAD. There are plenty of choices.
3. The MDC Alliance is not perfect. But it is not Zimbabwe’s problem. They are trying under very harsh conditions. Some folks have never put a penny to support the opposition, nothing, but they expect miracles to happen. Zero investment in the project but long & clever tongues.
Read 4 tweets
16 Aug
1. When there’s excitement a word of caution may be inconvenient but it is necessary: obviously, opposition parties become ruling parties upon winning. Sadly, time & again they have adopted the mentality of the ruling parties they replaced. Each time you hope it will be different
2. But something happens once they don those big robes of power & start associating with the old chaps in the regional arena. They seem to forget that they were once victims of repression. The burden carried by our brothers new to power is heavy. Expectations go beyond borders.
3. Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed is a handy read for this phenomenon. We know from history that it’s so easy to become the monster that you spent many years opposing. Words are good but they aren’t enough. It’s what they do with power that matters.
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17 Jul
1. Ndaba doesn’t get it most of the time. However, his confession that the man he is defending has never won a government tender is gold. Let me explain because what it reveals is worse than you can imagine. I see a lot of people have a misunderstanding of a “government tender”
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3. Therefore, when a contractor “wins a tender” it means it has gone through a competitive process where it’s offer has been accepted. This is legitimate. Ndaba has just told us that his client has never won a government tender. But note, he has not said he never got a contract.
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9 Jul
1. Efforts to vaccinate the nation are commendable. But we must also be vigilant re: the other pandemic - corruption. The government’s numbers don’t add up. Let’s start with Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube in January 2021 saying government had set aside US$100 million for vaccines
2. Two weeks later, the Minister of Health & VP Constantino Chiwenga said the cost of the national vaccination program was going to be US$6,7 million. Both Ncube & Chiwenga’s figures are based on the same numbers to be vaccinated: 10 million people.
3. The gulf is so wide that a reasonable person has a duty to raise serious questions. The man in charge of the national purse says US$100 million while the man in charge of health says US$6,7 million. The difference is a whooping US$93,3 million! We’re also getting donations
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