The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) will remain committed to
undertaking training needed to meet threats from hostile elements using
violence to disturb peace in the nation, ZNA Commander Lieutenant-General Edzai
Chimonyo has said.
Officiating during the wings parade at Parachute Regiment
at Inkomo Barracks last week to confer parachute insignia on 30 soldiers of the
special forces units who completed the parachute course, Lt-Genl Chimonyo said
the ZNA will not be deterred from perfoming its constitutional mandate of
providing security to Zimbabwe.
“Your graduation comes at a time when the organisation is
facing a number of resources challenges but in spite of that, your successful
completion of this training today represents the ZNA’s awesome determination of
ensuring that its members are prepared to defend the country against all forms
of threats through meaningful training,” said Lt-Gen Chimonyo.
“These continuous attacks are meant to scare us and hence
force us to dance according to their tune. As a nation we are, however, not
scared, more so when we have warriors who are determined to give their lives in
defence of our country,” the ZNA Commander said.
Lt-Gen Chimonyo applauded the special forces for their
dedication to duty by training with limited resources.
“Today in conferring wings to you graduands, we are not
only celebrating your achievements but also your commitment to the total and
selfless defence of the country. As members of Zimbabwe’s elite troops, you are
among the first to deploy on the ground in all our operations and it is
therefore important for you to clearly understand your unique and prestigious
role,” he said.
Lt-Gen Chimonyo also applauded the people for defending the
nation through uniting and speaking with one voice during the recently held
anti-sanctions campaign.
“The people of Zimbabwe supported the Southern African
Development Community (SADC), reminiscent to the days of the liberation
struggle, rose up to call for the lifting of the illegal sanctions that were
unfairly imposed on our Motherland.”
“The stance taken by our people against sanctions as seen
during the anti-sanctions march on October 25, 2019 complements the purpose for
our existence as members of the ZNA and specifically your existence as members
of our elite forces.
Meanwhile, the ZNA says it will continue to deploy
personnel to Chimanamani to speed up the reconstruction of bridges, infrastructure
and foster development in the Cyclone Idai-affected areas.
Speaking during a combined graduation at the Zimbabwe
School of Military Engineering (ZSME) in Harare last week, Brigadier-General
Staff, Brigadier-General Steven Gwekwerere said the ZNA will train more
engineers to be deployed in cyclone-hit areas to expedite development.
“The engineers who have graduated will go to Chimanimani to
increase the number of engineers who are working with the South Africans in
order to repair infrastructure that was destroyed during Cyclone Idai which hit
the area. ZNA has been doing this for long as part of military aid to civil
authority,” he said.
Reconstruction of the destroyed areas remains a top
priority for the ZNA and Government, hence the army will continue to train more
engineers to boost the required strength of manpower that can effectively
quicken the exercise,
He said the engineering courses remained at the core of
training for the ZNA. Brig-Gen Gwekwerere said the ZNA would continue to help
civil communities in times of disaster as part of its constitutional mandate.
The ZNA played a critical role in the evacuation of pupils
at St Charles Lwanga School in Chimanimani when Cyclone Idai which hit the area
in March.
As a gesture of regional military cooperation, the South
African government donated two Baily bridges which the SANDF engineers, under
the command of Lieutenant-Colonel D Ncjoko, to work with their ZNA counterparts
to lay over Rusitu and Nyahode rivers in Chimanimani district, which upon
completion would assist in improving accessibility to the areas.
In a separate development,
42 soldiers graduated at Kaguvi Barracks last week after completing a
four-month basic stores course.
Presiding over the graduation, ZNA Clothing Factory manager
Lieutenant-Colonel Caroline Hunidzarira urged the graduates to put to good use
the knowledge obtained during training.
“You need to practise so that you gain more experience from
what you learnt during the course,” she said. Herald
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