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Peter Matambanadzo Senior Reporter
The Zimbabwe Defence Forces is not a political organisation and is not involved in the succession issues in Zanu-PF, Defence Minister Cde Sydney Sekeramayi has said.
He said the ZDF’s mandate was to defend the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.

Cde Sekeramayi said this in an interview yesterday ahead of the commemoration of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day on Tuesday next week.

He was responding to claims that the ZDF was associated with politics and the succession issue in Zanu-PF.

“The Zimbabwe Defence Forces is not playing any part in the country’s politics, but the ZDF will not stand and fold its arms if the former colonial powers and others who do not want us to be independent beg sponsoring agents to be involved in the politics of the country,” Cde Sekeramayi said.

He said the ZDF would also not stand by and watch while Western-sponsored agents destabilise the country.

“So, the ZDF will be very alert and those various groups, which have been sponsored to try and destabilise the country by calling for riots, calling for job stayaways and so forth, you can be sure that we as ZDF will not simply say that is none of our business because part of our business is to make sure we are able to defend the territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence and the nation of Zimbabwe,” he said.

Cde Sekeramayi said: “In these things you call succession politics, the ZDF is not a political organisation, but it must be admitted without apologising that the nucleus of the ZDF, Zanla and Zipra are freedom fighters and they cannot allow a situation where the enemy-sponsored political parties have a joy ride in the country.”

Cde Sekeramayi said the ZDF immensely contributed to the socio-economic development of the country in the past 34 years through maintaining peace and stability and through various community assistance projects.

Cde Sekeramayi highlighted the ZDF’s achievements such as operations in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and Somalia where the force assisted to ensure peace and stability.

He said since 1992, the ZDF had deployed 5 198 officers to various countries and currently several officers were deployed in Sudan, Liberia, Nepal and Ivory Coast.

In a separate interview, Air Force of Zimbabwe Commander Air Marshal Perrance Shiri said the AFZ would remain committed to maintaining peace and security.

“While we celebrate the peace we enjoy, we remain committed to effectively defending Zimbabwe’s airspace and our priority is therefore captured in our vision to have a small, well-equipped, robust and hard-hitting air force, capable of effectively defending Zimbabwe’s airspace,” Air Marshal Shiri said.

He said AFZ was committed to facilitating gender mainstreaming in line with Government’s policy of gender equality.

Meanwhile, the AFZ Commanders Charity Fund yesterday donated 35 computers with e-learning software, seven laptops and 14 printers to seven remote schools in Zimbabwe.

Each school received five desktop computers, two laptops and two printers.