Zimbabwe's CIO accused of abusing power and snooping on citizens
Published: 2013 September 09 19:22:56 (5422 Views)
MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has been seen in public with his wife, Elizabeth, for the first time since revelations that Elizabeth had made up with the father of one of her children a few weeks ago.
The news comes at a time when speculation is swirling over the state of Tsvangirai's marriage with many saying the MDC leader was heading for the divorce courts.
But the appearance at the church means the couple are determined the see out the troubled times.
Targeted groups and individuals' communication activities are allegedly being monitored by the much-feared Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) from designated listening posts in Harare, mainly in Mount Pleasant.
The recent publication of Tsvangirai's wife Elizabeth Macheka's private correspondence with her alleged lover a fortnight ago exposed what is seen by some as abuse of the state security apparatus to target opponents for political reasons rather than national security purposes.
The Macheka episode is not an isolated incident as the CIO has a history of snooping or deliberately setting traps for private citizens perceived to be anti-Mugabe and Zanu PF.
MDC-T secretary-general Tendai Biti and former Roman Catholic archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube are prominent victims of such state surveillance.
A government source said: "The CIO obtains recordings of voice calls and other material from local cellphone providers under the guise of carrying out state security operations."
MDC officials claim that the State security has stepped up mass surveillance on private citizens, particularly those perceived as political threats, as the monitoring has widened beyond phone-tapping and e-mail interceptions to scrutinising activities on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, the troubled MDC-T leader who is battling with coming to terms with the highly disputed July 31 election results, has chosen to maintain grave silence over his wife's alleged love scandals.
This is a move analysts believe is the best way forward, whether the claims are true or not.
- TheIndependent/MyZim
The news comes at a time when speculation is swirling over the state of Tsvangirai's marriage with many saying the MDC leader was heading for the divorce courts.
But the appearance at the church means the couple are determined the see out the troubled times.
Targeted groups and individuals' communication activities are allegedly being monitored by the much-feared Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) from designated listening posts in Harare, mainly in Mount Pleasant.
The recent publication of Tsvangirai's wife Elizabeth Macheka's private correspondence with her alleged lover a fortnight ago exposed what is seen by some as abuse of the state security apparatus to target opponents for political reasons rather than national security purposes.
The Macheka episode is not an isolated incident as the CIO has a history of snooping or deliberately setting traps for private citizens perceived to be anti-Mugabe and Zanu PF.
MDC-T secretary-general Tendai Biti and former Roman Catholic archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube are prominent victims of such state surveillance.
A government source said: "The CIO obtains recordings of voice calls and other material from local cellphone providers under the guise of carrying out state security operations."
MDC officials claim that the State security has stepped up mass surveillance on private citizens, particularly those perceived as political threats, as the monitoring has widened beyond phone-tapping and e-mail interceptions to scrutinising activities on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, the troubled MDC-T leader who is battling with coming to terms with the highly disputed July 31 election results, has chosen to maintain grave silence over his wife's alleged love scandals.
This is a move analysts believe is the best way forward, whether the claims are true or not.
- TheIndependent/MyZim
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