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Columbus Mabika Herald Reporter

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces is carrying out a month-long routine field training exercise in Mashonaland Central and is assuring the public it is just training and there is no cause for panic when they see troops and military vehicles being deployed.

The exercise which started last week and ending on 21 October is covering the districts of Bindura, Mbire Muzarabani, Rushinga, Shamva and Mt Darwin. The exercise is a follow-up to a similar month-long routine exercise the ZDF conducted last year in conjunction with sister security services, covering Mwenezi and Chiredzi districts in the Lowveld.  ZDF director general Policy, Public Relations and International Affairs, Brigadier General Augustine Chipwere, said the exercise is meant to refine the capabilities required to fulfil the ZDF constitutional mandate of defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Zimbabwe.

He called on the general public not to panic. “The training exercise is meant to sharpen and perfect operational skills so as to enhance the Zimbabwe Defence Forces capability to fulfil its mandate. The exercise involves the movement of large number of troops and vehicles from Harare into Mashonaland Central Province, therefore the general populace should not be surprised by these movements.”

The ZDF, he said calls for cooperation from members of public and business community in the areas where the exercise will be conducted.

Brig Gen Chipwere said every precaution necessary will be taken to avoid disruption of the normal day to day business for the local population and prevent damage to livestock and property.

From time to time, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces have to conduct exercises to focus on the simulation of real, full-scale military operations in controlled hostile conditions in attempts to reproduce war-time decisions and activities for training or to analyse the outcome of possible war-time decisions.

The exercises are also part of routine training that is conducted regularly in fulfilment of the forces’ Constitutional mandate.

The ZDF has, over the years, been involved in SADC joint exercises which have been conducted such as Nengosile in Zambia in 2012, Highlander in Lesotho in 2013, Wilwitshia in Namibia 2013, Vale Do Keve in Angola 2014, Mahombekombe Zimbabwe 2015, Matumbahwe in Tanzania and Exercise Umodzi which Malawi hosted in 2018.

In 2019, the ZNA was training in preparation to participate in Exercise Chomela, which was to be held in Botswana in 2020, but was postponed due to the outbreak of Covid 19.

With the receding of the pandemic, the ZNA has resumed training for Exercise Chomela.

The interaction at regional exercises enhances diplomacy, cohesion, and mutual understanding between Zimbabwe and other nations and usually harmonises operational systems under SADC collective security initiatives.