ED'S DONATED ARMY CARS GATHERING DUST

There are allegations that the 102 top-of -the-range vehicles donated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) in September this year are not yet taken.

Sources told Masvingo Mirror that the fleet is gathering dust at Msasa Logistics Garrison Depot in Harare with top army officials reluctant to take them for fear that the vehicles could be installed with trackers.

There is also fear of compromising a professional army by receiving donations from individuals.

“There is hesitancy. There is strong fear that because the vehicles are personal donations and not coming from the fiscus, these could undermine the integrity and independence of the army.

ZNA deputy director Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Tichafa Mungofa referred all the questions to ZDF spokesperson, Colonel Charles Mutizhe. “I cannot comment on that right now. You can contact my boss Colonel Mutizhe,” he said. 

Colonel Mutizhe asked for questions to be sent via WhatsApp but he did not respond up to the time of going to Press.

. “You can send me all your questions on my WhatsApp and I will respond,” said Mutizhe.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, Aaron Nhepera said ZDF was a separate institution that runs its own affairs and acts at its convenient time.

“I am not aware that the vehicles were not distributed. As you know ZDF is an independent institution. They do their own things whenever they feel it is suitable for them,” said Nhepera.

Speaking during the donation, Mnangagwa said that the vehicles were part of the first phase of a comprehensive programme aimed at enhancing mobility within the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF). This programme, he noted, would involve the procurement of various vehicles, including buses, to improve the efficiency of the ZDF personnel.

He said the initiative would enable the Defence Forces to effectively carry out its Constitutional mandate, including responsibilities such as defending the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, advancing national interests, supporting infrastructure development, and responding to disasters.

This impasse is said to automatically stall the other 700 vehicles that were promised by Mnangagwa. Masvingo Mirror

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