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Herald Reporter
Defending the country’s sovereignty is priceless and will never be exchanged for anything, Defence Minister Dr Sydney Sekeramayi has said.
Speaking at the graduation of Junior Staff Course Number 60 at the Zimbabwe Staff College in Harare yesterday, Minister Sekeramayi commended members of the uniformed forces for remaining vigilant and patriotic against people bent on reversing the gains of independence.
He said the members of the defence forces remained dedicated to duty despite the low salaries and poor conditions of service they were getting.
Thirty-three officers, five of them female, graduated after 21 weeks of training.
“My ministry is aware of the challenges being faced by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces especially in the area of conditions of service,” said Minister Sekeramayi.
“In this regard lack of adequate transport, suitable accommodation and improved salaries are areas of concern. These issues are being looked into with the hope that lasting solutions will soon be found.”
The course participants were drawn from Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Malawi and Zambia.
He said the Zimbabwe Defence Forces’ training policy was aimed at fostering a formidable world-class defence force that values its national sovereignty, traditions and aspirations.
“Many of us are aware of the important achievements that the defence forces have made on the international scene through participation in various campaigns to promote peace and stability in the region and beyond,” Minister Sekeramayi said.
“Such an illustrious record was only achieved through high levels of human resources training and development within the force. The success of the ZDF should be built around sound human resources training and development policies.”
The inclusion of students from fellow regional countries, said Minister Sekeramayi, would go a long way in developing a shared vision and spirit of oneness in the region.
“Apart from enhancing standardisation of military procedures, joint training of the defence forces also promotes co-operation and mutual interaction amongst them. This is a salient virtue in our collective sub-regional security and economic integration efforts that seek to uphold our African identity and sovereignty. Our collective rallying point is the realisation that the defence of the territorial integrity of this nation and the entire Sadc region must always be entrusted to principled and patriotic officers endowed with professional integrity that can be guaranteed through training and development,” he said.
Minister Sekeramayi urged the graduates to put the skills acquired to good use.
“I have no doubt that this course has fully equipped you with the requisite skills that will subsequently enhance your proficiency,” he said.
“As you return to your units, formations, bases and countries the onus is now upon you to prove that you acquired and assimilated knowledge and skills during your five months stay at this college.
“Your respective organisations are looking forward to the return of more enlightened officers, ready to implement the newly acquired knowledge and skills thus contributing to the betterment of the organisation.”
He urged officers from outside the country to “tell the true Zimbabwean story” when they return home.
“I hope that as you go back to your respective countries, you will be our true ambassadors who will be able to tell the Zimbabwean story to the whole world from a better informed position contrary to falsehoods and misinformation that have always been peddled by our detractors and some sections of the foreign media,” Minister Sekeramayi said.
Online Reporter