Story by Fairstars Mukungurutse
THE Zimbabwe Defence Forces Community Assistance Programme has been commended for transforming communities through various developmental projects.
Mabvuku community in Harare is the latest to benefit from the initiative after a modern classroom block was handed over at Batanai Primary School this Monday.
Handed over as part of the ZDF Community Assistance Week, the new classroom block has been described as a significant development for the school and the community at large.
“This day is not just about the opening of a new classroom block, but it is a celebration of partnership, community development, and unwavering commitment of our Zimbabwe National Army to nation building. Not only through securing our borders, but also through uplifting our education system. We are profoundly grateful for their unwavering support and dedication from day one up to the final day,” Batanai Primary School’s Headmaster, Mr Rusununguko Ngwarai said.
The newly constructed block has been widely welcomed, with the School Development Committee Chairperson, Mr Brighton Zuva, noting its alignment with the country’s educational aspirations.
“The new ECD block will go a long way in fulfilling the expectations of our heritage-based curriculum and is a testimony to our President’s mantra of making our country an upper-middle-class income society by 2030. We have no doubt that this completed block is going to prepare our pupils for an excellent future,” Batanai Primary School SDC Chairperson, Mr Brighton Zuva added.
Local Ward 21 Councillor, Mr Tawanda Chidzidzi, commended the Zimbabwe Defence Forces for their continued investment in social infrastructure.
“We thank the Zimbabwe Defence Forces for the exemplary and noble initiative of ensuring that children in our community have access to quality educational infrastructure.”
The Zimbabwe Defence Forces reiterated its commitment to secure peace and uplift citizens’ livelihoods.
“As an organisation, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces is mandated not only to provide security to the nation, but also to provide military assistance to the civil community and authorities. We stand our heads high and proud of the success story as the Zimbabwe Defence Forces assisting school and the general public in Mabvuku. Let us continue to live by the words of wisdom from our President, Nyika Inovakwa Nevene vayo,” Commander of the Presidential Guard, Brigadier General Fidelis Mhonda said.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Aaron Nhepera, lauded the collaborative spirit between the military and civil society, noting the programme’s growing impact.
“It is pleasing to note that the programme has grown qualitatively and has transformed the lives of many communities over the years. There has also been overwhelming demand for our services. The collaboration of different stakeholders in the development of projects like this one resonates well with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s development philosophy. This is a philosophy that mandates us as citizens to take charge of the development of our own communities as we aim to transform our motherland into an empowered and prosperous upper-middle-income society by 2030,” Ministry of Defence’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Aaron Nhepera noted.
The ZDF Community Assistance Week is a precursor to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day, which is this year running under the theme: ‘Zimbabwe Defence Forces: Guaranteeing Peace and Stability for the attainment of Vision 2030.’
