Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
THE Ministry of Defence has established Changamire Construction Company (Pvt) Ltd as part of efforts to generate revenue and reduce reliance on funding from central Government.
The company is expected to compete with major players in the construction industry as the Ministry intensifies efforts to commercialise its assets and establish sustainable revenue streams to finance its operations.
In her keynote address at the Ministry’s 2026 Strategic Review and 2027 Annual Planning Workshop in Bulawayo on Friday, Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said the Ministry needed to move away from over-reliance on Treasury funding and fully exploit its income-generating potential.
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri, who was represented by her deputy, Brigadier-General (Retired) Levy Mayihlome, said the Ministry could generate sufficient revenue to sustain its operations if it aggressively pursued self-financing initiatives.
“I wish to challenge ourselves on one of the greatest mental barriers, over-reliance on funding from central Government. The fiscus is constrained due to the competing national priorities and we cannot continue to use funding as an excuse for non-delivery. We are not an ordinary Ministry; we have a good complement of Defence Forces, renowned for being strategists and for precision in operations, said Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri.”
She said the Ministry’s strategic thinking should be reflected in its projects through the development of innovative, non-fiscal revenue streams, public-private partnerships and commercial ventures that could sustain its operations without compromising its core constitutional mandate.
The Minister said the Defence Procurement Fund, established under the Defence Procurement Act (Chapter 11:03), should be fully utilised to generate additional revenue to supplement Treasury allocations.
“We have to make full use of the Defence Procurement Fund, which was established under the Defence Procurement Act (Chapter 11:03), to raise additional funding. The Act authorises the Ministry to engage in income-generating projects to augment Treasury financial disbursements. We had neglected this area for far too long,” she said.
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the Government had availed several assets to the Ministry to strengthen the fund’s capacity, but some had been underutilised, with instances of possible abuse also having been observed.
The Minister said she was driving an immediate transformation of the Ministry’s approach to managing the assets to ensure they contributed meaningfully to revenue generation.
As part of the restructuring drive, the Minister said the Zimbabwe Defence Industries had been rebranded as Heritage Shield Solutions (HSS), with efforts underway to strengthen the new entity’s capacity to mobilise resources and contribute to national development.
She said the Ministry was also restructuring the Defence Economic Development Department (DEDD) to strengthen its commercial operations under Rusununguko/Nkululeko Holdings (Pvt) Ltd (RNH).
The process includes improving corporate governance across the holding company’s strategic business units and establishing new ventures in different sectors of the economy.
“To this end, I am pleased to announce the establishment of Changamire Construction Company (Pvt) Ltd, which is set to compete in the construction industry at the highest possible level. I am convinced that if we aggressively pursue this route, we will be able to raise sufficient funding to sustain a well-oiled and motivated Defence Machinery,” said Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri.
Turning to the legislative agenda, Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said her Ministry is making progress in domesticating the Biological Weapons Convention through the Biological and Toxin Weapons Crimes Bill which was successfully passed by the Upper House of Parliament adding that the principles to amend the Red Cross Act were approved by Cabinet and the Bill will soon be introduced to Parliament while the domestication of the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is now before the Cabinet Committee on Legislation.
She said the Defence Amendment Bill, the Arms Trade Treaty and the Cluster Arms and Munitions Convention are still under consideration within the Ministry, they need to be expedited as they are on the agenda of the Fourth Session of the Tenth Parliament of Zimbabwe.
“In our efforts to maximise resource mobilisation, there may be a need to amend the Defence Procurement Act (Chapter 11:03) and to adopt attendant supporting policies to support its operationalisation. A review of the Defence Policy may also be necessary to align it with current legislative frameworks,” said Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri.
