STATEMENT BY GENERAL CONSTANTINO CHIWENGA
COMMANDER, ZIMBABWE DEFENCE FORCES
Monday 13th November 2017

Let us begin by quoting the Constitution of this Country particularlythe preamble which speaks of “Exalting and extolling the brave men andwomen who sacrificed their lives during the Chimurenga/Umvukela andnational liberation struggles and honouring our forebears andcompatriots who toiled for the progress of our country”.

It is with humility and a heavy heart that we come before you topronounce the indisputable reality that there is instability in Zanu-PFtoday and as a result anxiety in the country at large.

Zimbabwe’s history is hinged on the ideals of the revolution dating backto the First Chimurenga where thousands of people perished. Zanu-PF isthe political Party that waged the Second Chimurenga for ourindependence; the struggle that caused the loss of over 50 000 lives ofour people; the struggle in which many Zimbabweans, in one way or theother, sacrificed and contributed immensely for our liberation. Many ofthese gallant fighters still live on with the spirited hope of seeing aprosperous Zimbabwe, but also the hope of leaving behind inheritance andlegacy for posterity.

It is pertinent to restate that the Zimbabwe Defence Forces remain themajor stockholder in respect to the gains of the liberation struggle andwhen these are threatened we are obliged to take corrective measures.

Clearly, Zanu-PF having mainly been the only Party that has ruled thiscountry since Independence, it had become a household name to mostZimbabweans across the political divide. Therefore, it is common causethat any instability within the Party naturally impacts on their social,political and economic lives, accordingly, there is distress,trepidation and despondence within the nation.

Our peace loving people who have stood by their Government and enduredsome of the most trying social and economic conditions ever experiencedare extremely disturbed by what is happening within the ranks of thenational revolutionary Party. What is obtaining in the revolutionaryParty is a direct result of the machinations of counter revolutionarieswho have infiltrated the Party and whose agenda is to destroy it fromwithin.

It is saddening to see our revolution being hijacked by agents of ourerstwhile enemies who are now at the brink of returning our country toforeign domination against which so many of our people perished. Thefamous slogan espoused by His Excellency, The President of the Republicof Zimbabwe, Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of theZimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde R. G. Mugabe; “Zimbabwe will never be acolony again” is being seriously challenged by counter revolutionaryinfiltrators who are now effectively influencing the direction of the Party.

It is our strong and deeply considered position that if drastic actionis not taken immediately, our beloved country Zimbabwe is definitelyheaded to becoming a neo-colony again. The current purging and cleansingprocess in Zanu-PF which so far is targeting mostly members associatedwith our liberation history is a serious cause for concern to us in theDefence Forces.

As a result of squabbling within the ranks of Zanu-PF, there has been nomeaningful development in the country for the past five years. Theresultant economic impasse has ushered in more challenges to theZimbabwean populace such as cash shortages and rising commodity prices.

Our revolutionary path is replete with conduct and rebellion by peoplewho have attempted to destroy the revolution from within. The formationof FROLIZI, the attempt to remove the late Cde Chitepo from his positionof Chairman at the Mumbwa bogus Congress in 1973, the Nhari-Badzarebellion, NdabaningiSithole rebellion soon after the death of CdeChitepo, the Vashandi 1 and 2 as well as the rebellion that led to thedeath of the late ZIPRA Commander, Cde Alfred Nikita Mangena, amongothers are cases in point.

Therefore, the current shenanigans by people who do not share the sameliberation history of Zanu-PF Party are not a surprise to us. But, whatis significant to us and the generality of Zimbabweans is to rememberthat all these rebellions were defused by the military, but at no pointdid the military usurp power.

We must remind those behind the current treacherous shenanigans thatwhen it comes to matters of protecting our revolution, the military willnot hesitate to step in. ZANU PF’s standing political virtues are aproduct of faithful adherence to the founding values, decorum,discipline and revolutionary protocol in the ruling Party. Party orderswere strictly adhered to and whatever differences existed, they wereresolved amicably and in the ruling Party’s closet.

Unfortunately since the turn of 2015, Zanu-PF’s traditional protocol andprocedures have been changed with a lot of gossiping, back-biting andpublic chastisement being the order of the day.

Indeed the Party is undoing its legacy built over the years. While ourpeople may be persuaded to take what is going on in Zanu-PF as internalpolitical matters in that Party, the truth remains that Zanu-PF’sconduct and behaviour as a ruling Party has a direct impact on the livesof every citizen; hence all of us regardless of political affiliationare affected by the Party’s manner of doing business.

From a security point of view we cannot ignore the experiences ofcountries such as Somalia, DRC, Central Africa Republic and many othersin our region where minor political differences degenerated into seriousconflict that had decimated the social, political and economic securityof ordinary people. Section 212 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe mandatesthe Zimbabwe Defence Forces to protect Zimbabwe, its people, itsnational security and interests and its territorial integrity and touphold this Constitution.

Among other security threats that are coming out of what is obtaining inZanu-PF are these reckless utterances by politicians denigrating themilitary which are causing despondency within the rank and file.

Further, we note with concern the attempts by some politicians to drive awedge between the security services for their own selfish interests.This is unacceptable. We take great exception to this behaviour.

There is only one Commander-in-Chief, His Excellency, The President,Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the ZimbabweDefence Forces, Cde R. G. Mugabe. The military in an institution whoseroles cut across the wider spectrum of Government support functions inthe form of Military Aid to Civil Power and Military Aid to CivilMinistries, which are roles derived from Defence Instruments.

Therefore we want to state here and now that the history of ourrevolution cannot be rewritten by those who have not been part of it.Having said that we strongly urge the Party: To stop reckless utterancesby politicians from the ruling Party denigrating the military which iscausing alarm and despondency within the rank and file. The currentpurging of which is clearly targeting members of the party with aliberation background must stop forthwith.

The known counter revolutionary elements who have fermented the currentinstability in the Party must be exposed and fished out. As the Partygoes for the Extraordinary Congress, (members) must go with equalopportunity to exercise their democratic rights. Comrades and friends,ladies and gentlemen, we remain committed to protecting our legacy andthose bent on high-jacking the revolution will not be allowed to do so.

Further, we must understand that the freedoms that we enjoy today wereas a result of supreme sacrifice by some of our countrymen and women andthis must not be taken for granted. Let us remove this air ofuncertainty and allow Zimbabweans to enjoy their freedoms and rights asenshrined in the national Constitution.

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