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Conrad Mupesa and Admore Mbonda in Kariba

Plans are at an advanced stage for the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) to set up a special forces school in Kariba.

This was revealed by One Commando Regiment Commander Colonel Don Washington Chidawanyika at a recent graduation ceremony of commando selection and skills course class of 2019 at Wafa Wafa Training Camp.

“The blueprint for establishing a special forces school is now at an advanced stage.

The school will help members of the army to undergo rigorous training in various fields.

“From now on, you can put on your tartan green berets and the coveted commando dagger with pride with the full knowledge that your skills are above the ordinary infantry soldier and that the ZNA holds you in high regard.

“Your discipline and loyalty should remain unquestionable and remember that discipline is the cornerstone of combat readiness,” he said.

The soldiers, he said, were supposed to carefully choose their associates, shun drugs and remain vigilant just as they did during training in the face of various challenges.

From the initial 28 members chosen from the Zimbabwe Military Academy (ZMA) and Recruiting Depot, only six officers from ZMA made it along with 13 from the Recruiting Depot after gruelling training dubbed phase one selection process.

“During phase one, there were quite a number of pointers like personal fitness tests, memory tests and battle marches to name a few, that were drilled into the commandos during the four months they were shut off from the world,” Col Chidawanyika said.

The graduates underwent phase two tests where they were drilled into more proficient, multi-skilled and fully-fledged commandos.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, one of the instructors, Officer Commanding Training Company Major Summary Chamunorwa said he was satisfied with the class of 2019, which showed resilience, proficiency and hard work.

The best student, Tinashe Rupiya, was immediately promoted to the rank of full corporal whereas Gugulethu Dube and Tendai Tichapondwa the first and second runners up received prizes for their hard work.

The event was attended by various stakeholders who marvelled at the strength shown by the graduates during their displays on the day.