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THE INTERVIEW WITH COLUMBUS MABIKA
The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) will be celebrating 41 years today. The celebrations come at a time Covid-19 restrictions are in full force following a spike in infections. This has affected the major festivities and fanfare associated with the day as these will be missed for the second time. Ahead of the commemorations, our reporter Columbus Mabika (CM) caught up with Commander Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Air Marshal Elson Moyo (AMM) at Manyame Airbase for a wide ranging interview regarding the operations of the AFZ. Below are the excepts of the interview.
CM: Sir we meet again celebrating the ZDF Day for the year 2021. Before taking command of the AFZ, you had an illustrious career as a pilot and flying instructor. How have these experiences been passed down to the young pilots in your organisation?
AMM: Thank you. This year we celebrate 41 years of our existence as an air force and also pay tribute to the selfless dedication of our officers and members in the performance of their various duties in defence of Zimbabwe’s air space and territorial integrity.
I am from the generation of the first black pilots in the AFZ and over the years we have accumulated valuable skills and experiences. At the same time, there were a number of challenges that we faced and with hindsight, we appreciate that these tempered us to build the AFZ that we are all proud of today.
It is significant to point out that the survival of any organisation largely depends on its ability to learn from the past, live in the present and build for the future.
To this end AFZ has invested heavily in training so that we pass on skills and experiences to the young pilots.
I am always proud to see young pilots getting into the cockpit to fly some of the platforms that we flew like the Hunter and Hawk jets. This is testimony of our excellence in training and passing on the skills to future generations.
CM: What can you say about the state of readiness of the AFZ in responding to national and regional threats?
AMM: Over the past months we have witnessed the worrying rise of terrorism in Cabo Delgado in Mozambique, a threat that in the past had remained outside the SADC region. It is quite pleasing to note that SADC has been equal to this task by coordinating a collective response. As a result, we remain guided by the decisions reached by the regional leaders.
In addition to our own training programmes, we have ensured that we maintain a high state of readiness by cooperating and conducting joint training exercises with sister forces in the region under the auspices of the Standing Aviation Committee. Under this framework, the AFZ has offered training to students from SADC countries and equally seconded students to train with some regional Air Forces. In addition, the AFZ has traditionally participated in regional humanitarian assistance exercises aimed at sharpening our skills in responding to humanitarian situations such as disasters. I must hasten to state that in all the threats to national and regional security, the air power characteristics such as height, speed and reach have proved to be critical in effectively countering the threats. This all important role of air power is aptly captured in the AFZ motto; “Our Wings are the Fortress of the Nation”.
CM: As you have clearly explained, the air force remains key to national security due to its rapid responsiveness. Can you briefly highlight what the AFZ is doing to keep the organisation operational under the environment of economic sanctions?
AMM: Our thrust is to keep the AFZ airborne and capable of fulfilling its mandate. This has been strongly premised on keeping a highly motivated workforce, quality training and Research and Development.
On maintaining a motivated workforce, the AFZ continues to provide a number of conditions of service aimed at attracting and retaining highly skilled personnel.
On the question of economic sanctions, the President and Commander-in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces has pronounced that Zimbabwe will no longer mourn over the imposition of the illegal sanctions.
This clarion call has inspired the Air Force of Zimbabwe to look inwards for solutions in order to be the masters of our destiny.
We are beginning to see the fruits of this approach in our Research and Development efforts where we have recovered a number of air assets and equipment to enhance our capabilities. Testimony of these achievements will be demonstrated at the ZDF Day celebrations where the AFZ will execute a fly-past with some of the recovered air assets.
In view of these positive outcomes, I want to assure the nation that the Air Force of Zimbabwe will continue to provide air power regardless of any hostile environment.
As we continue to witness positive changes in the economy, the Air Force of Zimbabwe will remain committed to investing much in Research and Development in order to become self-sufficient. To this end, we have established robust structures to promote Research and Development in order to sustain the AFZ today and into the future.
CM: Covid-19 has become a global concern and a threat to national security. What has the Air Force of Zimbabwe done to fight against this pandemic to protect its members?
AMM: Covid-19 has indeed become a threat to the human security and the global economy. The AFZ has not been spared and this has made us to come up with strategies to fight against the disease. Using the Covid-19 guidelines on combating and prevention of the pandemic, we have embarked on awareness campaigns, prevention mechanisms and vaccination.
Our campaigns helped us empower our officers, members and their families with knowledge and awareness to prevent the further spread of the disease. On the preventive measures, we have installed sanitising booths at the main entrances of all bases and units, provided PPEs to health personnel and ensured that all personnel are provided with sanitisers and masks. Furthermore, we have been decongesting work places in line with Government guidelines.
AFZ personnel were also categorised amongst frontline workers by virtue of the service they provide to the nation hence, there was a deliberate effort to get all of the members vaccinated as a measure to curb the spread of the disease.
Testing for Covid-19 on all crew members on tasks has also helped. I must say this has helped in reducing infections on our active members and those with whom we get in touch with.
CM: On the same Covid-19 note, how has the AFZ conducted its recruitment and what are the plans for training under this environment?
AMM: The AFZ needs to recruit annually in order to guarantee a steady injection of young officers and members who will carry forward the mandate of the AFZ. This year we conducted a recruitment exercise that was different from all our previous outreach programmes because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
While we took all the precautions to prevent the spread of the pandemic during the exercise, we also made sure that we recruited the best candidates. I am pleased to state that the exercise was successfully completed without any reported cases of Covid-19 for both the applicants and the AFZ recruiting team.
Training was set to commence at the beginning of June, but we had to temporarily suspend the courses after the onset of the third wave of Covid-19. I know that the selected candidates are anxious to know when they will commence training and I want to assure all of them that they will all be advised to report for training once the environment is conducive.
At the same time, I want to implore the selected candidates to observe all the Covid-19 protocols as they await the commencement of training. One major take away from the recruitment exercise is the noted increase in the number of female candidates who turned up at the various recruitment centres to submit their applications for all the trades that were advertised. What this shows is that the AFZ has become an employer of choice for female candidates who previously shied away and
I attribute to our successful gender mainstreaming efforts that have over the years produced role models for young women to emulate.
Going forward, the AFZ will continue to advance inclusiveness and offer equal opportunities to both males and females.
CM: The air force had some unfortunate aircraft accidents that claimed some lives of aircrew and a civilian. What is the organisation doing to prevent the recurrence of such aircraft accidents?
AMM: As you rightly pointed out, the AFZ experienced two fatal accidents in the last two years and we are still mourning the sad loss of young and driven pilots and technician as well as baby Fenyere. After the accidents, we have redoubled our efforts on flight safety awareness for the aircrew and we have also put in place structures to provide support to our aircrew on mental health issues. Accidents are by their nature unforeseen and unfortunate, but we are determined to minimise the occurrence of such incidents. In pursuit of this, flight safety is a major priority in the AFZ. We, therefore, regularly conduct flight safety seminars for all our aircrew and always guarantee that all our aircraft are certified by highly qualified engineers before any flight.
CM: The Air Force of Zimbabwe has over the years implemented a number of community assistance projects. What are some of the projects that you are currently undertaking?
AMM: The AFZ is a part of the community, hence we have a moral responsibility to respond, whenever we can, to the needs of individuals and communities.
Over the past years we have used two approaches to assist the less privileged within our communities. The first approach is where the AFZ Bases and Units mobilise resources to embark on intervention programmes within their immediate communities. The second approach is through the Commander Air Force of Zimbabwe Charity Fund that was established to carry-out assistance programmes across the country with focus on education and health infrastructure, payment of tuition for gifted and disadvantaged students as well as catering for various welfare needs and sourcing for assistive devices for the physically challenged.
As I speak we have two major projects that we undertaking in Gokwe North, Midlands Province. In Gokwe we are constructing an administration block and a science laboratory block at Simuchembu Secondary school whilst in Nerowe, Chiredzi we are constructing a clinic. It is also worth to highlight that during the course of 2020 we joined hands with the community of Honde valley and successfully completed the construction of a Ground Water tank that is providing clean water to the community.
We also continue to mobilise equipment and resources for those clinics we constructed and are already operating. Recently, my teams were at Murongwe, Negove, Rutanhira and Neromwe Clinics where hospital equipment, various Covid-19 prevention related materials and medical items were handed over. Resource mobilization for the Simuchembu Project is work in progress, as we continue to engage well-wishers in the corporate sector and relevant government departments to make sure the project is finalised.
CM: Looking ahead, what is your vision of the Air Force of Zimbabwe?
AMM: Guided by the National Vision, my vision is to have a small, well equipped, robust and hard-hitting Air Force capable of effectively defending Zimbabwe’s to re-equip the that airspace.
The process to re-equip the AFZ is ongoing and with the support of our Research and Development efforts, I am confident that this vision is attainable so that our “wings” continue to guarantee peace and security for our beautiful nation.
Online Reporter
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