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Tafara Shumba
THE recent appointment of three senior army officers as ambassadors to Japan, Mozambique and Russia triggered the usual undue chorus of disapproval from the same old habitual and hardened cynics.A reporter with the ailing Independent newspaper, evidently barren of diplomatic insight, shockingly packaged the hubbub as news.
President Mugabe recently appointed Air Vice-Marshal Titus Mehliswa Jonathan Abu Basutu, Major General Mahuhuba Dube and Brigadier General Mike Nicholas Sango as ambassadors to Japan, Mozambique and Russia respectively.

A read-through of the national Constitution, one would discover that the charter is completely devoid of a provision that could have perhaps formed the basis for that concern. There is absolutely no bar against the appointment of military men and women for ambassadorial assignments.

Sections110 (2) (i) 204 of the Constitution of the country simply stipulates that the President may appoint persons to be ambassadors or other principal representatives of Zimbabwe in other countries. It was in terms of this provision that President Mugabe appointed the threesome. Unless they are not persons or Zimbabweans, the President did not err.

The three were not appointed merely because they are in the military. They are among the citizens who merit such appointments. Their meritorious service in the national security and development was recognised and rewarded without any solicitation.

Military people are citizens who must enjoy equal opportunity to serve the nation in any capacity and field. In any case, these military men made many sacrifices to liberate this country. Thus, we cannot afford to close them out, as these critics would want.

Even during the liberation struggle, some of them were representatives of the party in foreign countries. As such, the military men are quite at home in diplomatic missions.

Some people thoughtlessly believe that soldiers are only proficient in the operation of firearms. That is dim-witted of course!

The contemporary soldier has become a jack of all trades. The Zimbabwe Defence Forces is teeming with men and women who can fit squarely in any civilian profession. They have the qualifications and skills that enable them to perform diligently, efficiently and effectively in any economic, political and social field.

Examples abound of military men and women who fared well in non-military assignments.

Even these three ambassadorial appointees are no ordinary men. They all have colourful academic and professional competencies as well as rich work experiences that can profit any organisation.

These three senior army officers are all holders of more than one degree.

They have masters in International Relations and Management of Business Administration. These degrees are not applicable in the army per se. These appropriate qualifications will enable them to match any assignment in any line of work, including diplomatic assignments.

The noise about the appointment of soldiers also exposes the duplicity of the noisemakers. When soldiers engage in civil duties like evacuation of flood victims, nobody talks about militarisation. There are plenty of military health personnel in the hospitals and nobody talks of militarisation of health institutions.

Zimbabwe is a country under attempted western siege. As such, only disciplined people can advance the national vision. People, who know where Zimbabwe came from and where it is going, are the ones who can be the cornerstones of Zimbabwe’s foreign policy.

The nation cannot afford to experiment once again. In 2009, people of dubious moral rectitude were allowed to carry the face of the nation in foreign land where their undiplomatic behaviour embarrassed the nation.

A case in point is that of Jacqueline Zwambila who had a dubious honour of representing Zimbabwe in Australia. She was the most uneducated envoy who struggled with night school in Canberra to obtain just a certificate.

While she was on tour of duty, she engaged in a myriad of shameful controversies that put the name of the country into disgrace.
Zwambila stripped naked in front of embassy staff in protest that they were leaking information to the public media. Her scandal hit the headlines of foreign media and subsequently brought shame on the nation.

Ironically, this envoy was the one who volunteered state secrets to Australian media. She claimed she was funding the mission from her own pocket, another revelation that put the name of the country into disrepute.

She also  abused junior staff at the embassy. Felix Machiridza can testify to this undiplomatic behaviour, for he fell victim after he allegedly resisted her sexual advances.

As if that was not enough, Zwambila had the cheek to attend the reunion of the Rhodesian Forces commemoration, an event that honours former Rhodesian soldiers. They honour the murderers who ruthlessly butchered tens of thousands of innocent Zimbabweans in the country and in camps dotted around the neighbouring countries.

Zwambila was so morally dirty that she attended an evil gathering where the Rhodies celebrated how they massacred the innocent Zimbabweans, who are her brothers and sisters.

Those who study corporate governance can agree that the image of a leader has effects on the national reputation. Do we then need the calibre of Zwambila as our envoys?

Those military men are disciplined and have competences that can add value to the nation.

The Independent reporter and his “concerned stakeholders” want to give an impression that the appointment of military personnel as ambassadors is peculiar to Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe Independent newspaper should have done its homework before rushing to print with hogwash.

Gabriel Gai Riak, the South Sudan envoy to Zimbabwe is a Brigadier General. His counterpart from South Africa, Vusi Mavimbela is a former Director General of the South African intelligence service.

Botswana’s ambassador to Zimbabwe, Kenny Kapinga is a former Commissioner of police. The current Nigerian Charge’ d’affaires, Peter Isamabo is also a former intelligence officer.

Even the US also deploys military personnel to Foreign Service. Charles Ray who served as an ambassador in Harare is a former major in the US army where he saved for 20 years. He joined the army in 1962 and served in the Vietnam War. He actually earned two Bronze stars and an Armed Forces Humanitarian Service Medal.

It was his performance in military assignments that made US president Barack Obama to appoint him as ambassador.

President Mugabe also considered the same attributes in the three military men in appointing them. Therefore, that story was much ado about nothing here.