Zimpapers Logo

Columbus Mabika
Herald Reporter
A collective and urgent effort is needed by Sadc to help Mozambique deal with the deteriorating security and terror attacks in the north of the country, which threaten peace and socio-economic development, Defence and War Veteran Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said yesterday.

Presiding over the graduation ceremony for two academic courses at Zimbabwe Staff College in Harare, Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the terror attacks in the Cabo Delgado province were negatively impacting on that country’s economy.

“Our region is under serious threat from acts of terrorism and other forms of non-traditional threats which need sophisticated strategies to overcome.

“In this regard, our Government is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation in Mozambique, which is threatening peace and development in the region.

“Mozambique is our gateway to the sea. Therefore any form of attack on the country has a direct impact on us, and there is need for collective efforts to deal with this emerging threat,” she said.

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said armies in the region should be enriched through training to respond adequately to the contemporary challenges affecting the region and the continent at large.

SADC has not been spared by the effects of Covid-19, which poses a serious security threat.

“Our region has also not been spared by the effects of the pandemic, which is posing a serious human security threat. The entire world is still grappling to find a cure to this menace.

“Government is deeply concerned that people are beginning to relax in adhering to the containment measures put in place,” she said.

“In the past eight months, we had made tremendous strides in fighting this pandemic. Any laxity in adhering to these restrictions as we enter the second wave, will be disastrous.”

She called on the security services to be aggressive in ensuring that restrictions laid down by Government were enforced.

Presenting diplomas to the graduates, University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Mapfumo said the University of Zimbabwe stands ready to assist initiatives by Zimbabwe Defence Forces geared towards improvement in the quality of     learning.

UZ has a fully-fledged department of peace, security and society which offers degrees in conflict, peace-building and social transformation, history, war and security, and risk reduction.

He called on the ZDF and other security organs to participate in the University of Zimbabwe programmes in pursuit of the national goal to industrialise and modernise.

One of the graduates, Lieutenant-Colonel Njozi Mphonje of Malawi Defence Forces, said regional collaboration in training was key to regional peace.

The graduating courses were Diploma in Defence and Security Studies and Diploma in Adult Education and had a combined 157 graduating students.

The programmes were offered by the Zimbabwe Staff College in collaboration with the University of Zimbabwe.