Mugabe’s British henchman exposed

It reads like a thriller and is a clear demonstration of how far the British right-wing media are prepared to go to get rid of Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front leader Robert Mugabe in the elections that are now due in four days.

According to the latest expose in today’s British Daily Mail, a crooked British businessman Nicholas van Hoogstraten, who has become the biggest landowner in Zimbabwe, is funding Mugabe’s rigging machine.

Van Hoogstraten started selling stamps at the age of 11. But he was hiring classmates to steal stamps for him. By the time he was 14, he was wearing suits to school but was not attending lessons. Instead, he would go into an empty classroom and read the Financial Times and attend to deals.

Then he went into the loan shark business. He hated his mother and his father. But he is now multi-millionaire who has become a darling of Mugabe.

This is the yarn published by the same British media house which last Sunday published another expose on Mugabe entitled:“Proof Mugabe buys elections: Astonishing documents show evidence of ‘neutralising’ of voters, millions paid for systematic rigging and smuggling of blood diamonds – to ensure tyrant, 89, clings to power.”

Van Hoogstraten’s story is part of the treasure trove from the documents given to the Daily Mail which say the British businessman has been granted claims to Zimbabwe’s diamonds in Marange, one of the biggest diamond finds of this century.

Van Hoogstraten is reported to have made himself indispensable to Robert Mugabe’s regime. He is now the biggest landowner in Zimbabwe through his Central Estates.

The paper says van Hoogstraten handed over US$500 000 to Mugabe in April and has given cash to purchase vehicles for Mugabe’s secret police to target opponents. Mugabe is reported to have a 300 000-strong army of intelligence agents, according to the paper.

“As well as the diamond concessions, the documents claim that Hoogstraten has asked the regime for paratroopers to patrol his businesses, and for secret service agents to continue to provide a 24-hour guard at his opulent Harare properties in case his enemies should try to kill him.

“The documents state that Hoogstraten, 68, has also been granted assurances that his other business interests in Africa — which include dealings with President Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, and mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo — will be protected as far as possible with the help of Mugabe’s military and diplomatic might.

“Amid predictions that Mugabe could be ousted by his own ZANU party if he loses the poll, Hoogstraten has ensured that he has built up close links with Emmerson Mnangagwa, the country’s defence minister, known as The Crocodile on account of his violence and savagery towards opponents,” the paper says.

The right-wing newspaper is leaving nothing to chance. It says: “Incredibly, the documents claim that Hoogstraten has also promised to pay for public relations companies, as well as providing $2.5million in cash for security and an aircraft to be used by Mugabe in the event that he has to leave the country ‘due to an inconclusive electoral outcome on July 31’.

That, however, is unlikely to happen. Mugabe and Nicholas Marcel Van Hoogstraten have too much to lose from their macabre relationship.

In short Mugabe is not losing the elections. He is rigging his way out.

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