The Army is part of ZANU-PF
Updated below
The Army’s Chief of Staff, Major General Martin Chedondo, believes the army is there to protect the executive and other systems, not the people of Zimbabwe. In fact, I can’t cherry-pick from this report, I’ll just paste the whole thing.
Members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces must be allowed to participate in national politics to remain loyal and defend the nation’s territorial integrity and interests. Addressing over 3 000 troops from 2 Brigade undergoing a battlefield training exercise in Mutoko yesterday, Chief of Staff General Staff, Major General Martin Chedondo said soldiers should be involved in national politics as they are part of politics.
“A national defence force the world over is there to protect the national politics, national integrity, the Executive and other systems that form part of the Government.
“By virtue of this, defence forces automatically become a political animal.
“Soldiers cannot be blind or blinkered on what they are protecting. We have to be alert and know where we came from and where we are going. Politicians must first agree on national ideals, ethos and objectives then differ in tactics but not on the strategic aspect of what Zimbabwe is.
“As soldiers, we will never be apologetic for supporting Zanu-PF because it is the only political party that has national interests at heart,” he said
Maj Gen Chedondo said some politicians were busy fighting for security sector reforms and saying soldiers were not supposed to meddle in the country’s politics.
“The answer that I am giving those politicians who always ask if it is right for soldiers to be partisan is that the defence forces must exhibit the national outlook.
“As soldiers we must never apologise when we are discharging our noble role of protecting the integrity of our nation, hard won independence and our precious resources.
“We cannot be seen supporting a political party that is going against the ideals of a nation, which came by as a result of a liberation struggle, which saw many of the country’s sons and daughters losing their lives.
“As soldiers we must support ideologies that we subscribe to, I for one will not be apologetic for supporting Zanu-PF because I was part of the liberation struggle,” he said.
He said there should be no room to accommodate the enemy because one individual wants to pocket money.
The battle exercise saw troops crossing a dam using speedboats, rafters, canoes and ropes while firing at the “enemy”.
Common sense will tell you that the Army, as an organ of the State, should be completely apolitical. For the Army to become an appendage of one political party means that democracy is non-existent.
So why keep on pretending? Just declare that Zimbabwe belongs to ZANU-PF and scrap all elections and so forth.
Because that seems to be how these guys think.
*sigh*
Update 1
It doesn’t end there. Yesterday he went on to attack the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
“Tsvangirai and his cronies are being used by imperialists to change our Zimbabwe.
“We will never be shy to mention this because the truth must be known for the people to make right choices.
“We will never accept that white colonisers become indigenous Zimbabweans.
“You (troops) and me have a great job to safeguard our precious nation. When you leave this place, sing in your heart that our nation shall never be colonised again.
“You are all descendants ‘tuzukuru tweZanu-PF’ (union of PF Zapu and Zanu PF) because your parents are children of this revolutionary party, which made you go to school and brought a level political atmosphere that accepts elections,” he said.
Yeah, this guy isn’t even pretending.
FUCK…ME… This is actually shockingly alarming. And depressing. Inbelievable! This must be like the precursor for Martial Law or something. SHIT!
So what’s the plan JB? What do you do? What can you do?
Amheno sha. We can just refuse to be intimidated, and use our votes, eventually, to speak. Again.
And I guess if ZANU-PF continues to be the losing party, we’ll just see whether these guys put their AKs where their mouths are.
but beezy,
how can the army not be political yet all ranks above Flight Lieutenant, i.e. where one is allowed to think, are political appointments,
similarly, how can the judiciary be apolitical yet all supreme and whatnot judges are direct appointments by the top politician himself,
and how can religious institutions not be political yet each institution is people, and those same people are the voters, who by that, are the very essence of politics?
but more importantly, u’re not surprised, just venting … right?
I’m shocked not by the sentiments expressed, but by the brazen nature in which they’re said.
These comments are, by nature, unconstitutional, and I guess I was so used to KNOWING how these guys felt, that the very act of the Chief of Staff telling 3,000 soldiers these things, out in the open, is frightening.
I just read the comments and am surprised a lot of them have not been deleted, in the spirit of moderation.
This is just so fucked up. agree with JB, the nerve to actually say it out in public like that. So blatantly, no less. Surely, it’s madness, unless you’re declaring martial law.