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Mugabes
control of the armed forces makes Zanu PF invincible - Or
does it?
Gabriel Shumba, Zimbabwe Exiles Forum
December 08, 2009
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In an article
published on the Zimbabwejournalists.com website on 24 December
2007, the author, Freeman Forward Chari, posed the following question:
"In a
country of nearly 200 000 military people . . . whose public sector
is run by the military, where does the common man fit in? Is there
a possibility of civil participation in the country?"
Chari breaks
down the military component for 2007 as follows, but does not indicate
his sources, so the accuracy of his figures cannot be confirmed:
Security
Forces - total 80 000
- Zimbabwe
National Army (ZNA): 35 000
- Air Force
of Zimbabwe (AFZ): 5 000
- Zimbabwe
Republic Police (ZRP): 25 000
- Central
Intelligence Organisation (CIO): 15 000
Those
with a basic knowledge of military operations/training - total
110 000
- Prisons
Service: 10 000
- War veterans:
35 000
- Trained youths
/ youth militia: 30 000 graduates since 2005
- Zimbabwe
People-s Militia (trained in '80s): 20 000 vigilantes/youths
- Plus voluntary
retirements from ZNA & ZRP: 15 000
Total
number: 190 000
"This
means we have (in 2007) at least 190 000 people in Zimbabwe who
have a basic understanding of military language," wrote Chari.
He reminded
Zimbabweans that, at the level of leadership and policy formulation,
there was a need to also explore the level of involvement of the
military in strategic entities that deal strictly with civilians.
In December 2007, the line-up was:
- Minister
of Energy and Power Development - Rtd Lieutenant General Mike
Nyambuya.
- Minister
of Youth Development and Employment Creation - Rtd Brigadier General
Ambrose Mutinhiri.
- Ministry
of Transport - Rtd Colonel Hubert Nyanhongo, Deputy Minister
- National
Railways of Zimbabwe - Brigadier Douglas Nyikayaramba (Board chairman)
and Air Commodore Mike Karakadzai (CEO).
- Grain Marketing
Board - Rtd Colonel Samuel Muvuti (CEO).
- Permanent
Secretary for Industry and International Trade - Rt Colonel Christian
Katsande.
- Zimbabwe
Election Commission (ZEC) - Justice Chiweshe, (head) a former
Advocate-General in the Zimbabwe National Army.
- Attorney
General - Sobuza Gula-Ndebele, a retired Colonel.
- Sports and
Recreation Commission - Brigadier General Gibson Mashingaidze
and Rtd Lt Colonel Charles Nhemachena.
Chari summed
up the relevance of the appointments as follows:
Zanu PF controls:
- Food (Grain
Marketing Board - GMB)
- Transport
- Energy,
fuel, power
- Trade and
industry
- Sport
- Youth
- The Attorney
General
- Elections
Chari pointed
out that Joint Operations Command (JOC) comprises the ministries
of Defence, Finance, State Security, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs.
"The military therefore controls the finances and even the
foreign policy is directed by the military and not parliament,"
he said.
Major Martin
Saurombe (Rt), writing for the website zimsecurityforces.com in
2007, brought in an interesting perspective. He reminded Zimbabweans
that, in politicising the military, Zanu PF had started by appointing
raw guerrillas to top posts in the army.
He noted that:
- General
Solomon Mujuru commanded the army from 1981 to 1992 without attending
a single military course.
- The late
General Vitalis Zvinavashe, retired former commander of the Zimbabwe
Defence Forces, also never attended any military courses.
- Zimbabwe
Defence Forces Commander, General Constantine Chiwenga, Air Force
Commander Perence Shiri and Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri
are also politicians in military uniform.
One wonders
how many people are aware of this fact.
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