Story by Josephine Mugiyo, Diplomatic Correspondent
THE Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), President Emmerson Mnangagwa has commended the country’s security forces for their unflinching defence of the country’s national interests.
As per tradition, each year the country sets aside a day to celebrate men and women within the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
This year’s 44th ZDF anniversary celebrations were held at Rufaro Stadium in Mbare which was filled to capacity.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, inspected the Guard of Honour soon after arrival.
He highlighted the significance of holding the celebrations in Rufaro grounds, the place where the Union Jack was lowered at Independence in 1980, paving the way for the hoisting of Zimbabwe’s flag.
“The choice of Rufaro Stadium invokes sentimental memories. It was at these historic grounds, on the eve of 18 April 1980, when the Union Jack was lowered and the Zimbabwean flag hoisted. That symbolic act marked the birth of an independent and free Zimbabwe. It ushered us into a journey of yet again charting our own course and destiny. It was also in surrounding residential suburbs such as Mbare and Highfield where many of our citizens were brutalised for their resistance and rejection of the racist colonial administration,” he said.
As the President affirmed that Zimbabwe shall never again be under colonial rule, he commended the ZDF for their unflinching defence of national interests.
“I commend the ZDF for keeping alive the rich liberation ethos as well as the intricate principles and values deployed at the establishment of a united security apparatus in 1980. Equally, your defence of our national interests as embodied in our national constitution over the years, has been exemplary and unflinching. The formability, reliability, dependability, professionalism and discipline of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces remain the guarantor of the peace and security necessary due to the development, modernisation, industrialisation and prosperity of our nation,” noted the President.
Turning to the training of the forces, the ZDF Commander-in-Chief said the participation of allied students in training programmes brings about enhanced regional military cooperation and inter-force operability.
As the country celebrated the Defence Forces, President Mnangagwa noted the various initiatives by the government to improve their welfare.
“Meanwhile, an array of strategies are underway to improve the welfare of members of our defence forces. Non-monetary incentives and benefits such as civil service housing loans and civil service purchase schemes have been extended to members of the defence forces. Over and above housing units that are ready for occupation, the government will soon be embarking on the construction of 3000 housing units for members of the ZDF,” he highlighted.
“In peace times, the ZDF remain key in national development, “In peace times the defence forces remain a critical cog in our national development agenda. I, therefore, congratulate the ZDF for our national philosophy that says, ‘Nyika inovakwa never mayo / utilize Lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo.’”
President Mnangagwa also outlined how the ZDF is implementing several community development and assistance projects, such as free medical outreaches and the construction of schools and hospitals as part of ongoing civil-military relations.
