Zimpapers Logo

Zimbabwe National Army commander Lt General Philip Valerio Sibanda confers the first woman Shylet Moyo to the rank of a Brigadier General in Harare yesterday

Paidamoyo Chipunza Senior Reporter
The Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, President Mugabe has promoted two colonels to the rank of brigadier general. The two are Brigadier Generals Michael Chaminuka and Shailet Moyo. Brig-Gen Moyo becomes the first and only female to hold that rank in the Zimbabwe National Army.

President Mugabe also promoted seven lieutenant colonels to the rank of colonel.
These are Colonels Kingstone Kazambara, Phillimon Dikinya, Seletcher Mushipe, Sambulo Ndlovu, Freedom Tsodzai, George Chinoingira and C. Jiyane.

The promotions, which are in terms of section 15(1) (b) of the Defence Act (Chapter 11:02) are with effect from September 5 this year.
Conferring the ranks to the brigadier generals at Army headquarters yesterday, ZNA commander Lieutenant General Phillip Valerio Sibanda congratulated the pair saying the promotions were as result of hard work and diligence.

“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the two brigadier generals just promoted for having worked hard, serving diligently, and for being patriotic, which has resulted in them getting this promotion,” Lt Gen Sibanda said.

He said the ZNA is not doing the promoted senior officers a favour but giving them what is due to them as a result of hard work.
“I expect that you are going to continue to work hard, to continue to provide leadership to our troops, to our people, to continue to ensure that the country remains stable and secure,” he said.

He urged the Brig Gen to pass on the knowledge they have to their colleagues and subordinates saying knowledge kept to one self becomes redundant.

Lt Gen Sibanda said the two should not sit on their laurels but continue to work hard for them to be promoted to the next rank.
“If you rest on your laurels and think that promotion to the next higher rank is going to come without you working for it then you can be rest assured that this might be the end of the road in terms of promotions, so continue to work for it and get rewarded,” he said.

Conferring ranks on promoted colonels, Chief of Staff Administration at Army Headquarters, Major General Trust Mugoba congratulated the senior officers for their contribution to the nation in the past 33 years.

He said they have been professional and ensured that the values cherished by the country were preserved and projected regionally and internationally.

“Those values include independence, sovereignty, maintenance of national interests and our territorial integrity.
“You are part and parcel of the team that has ensured that Zimbabwe enjoyed peace and tranquility over the past 33 years. We hope and entrust you to maintain that,” he said.