adminOver the years Zimbabwe’s security arms have resolutely defended the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and for that they deserve special praise. We salute them for standing firm in the face of naked aggression from the country’s detractors who have been using covert and overt means to undermine the Government and people of Zimbabwe. Since the country embarked on the historic land reform programme, the nation’s enemies in the West have been plotting to effect regime change through sponsoring proxy parties to front their sinister agenda of toppling President Mugabe.
While the President has remained unshaken and boldly resisted machinations to unseat him, it is the support he has received from the country’s men and women in uniform which has emboldened him to continue defending the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. At the just-ended Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day, Cde Mugabe paid tribute to Zimbabweans and the security forces for successfully resisting efforts by Western powers to cause a revolt through the imposition of illegal sanctions. He said sanctions were meant to compromise the people’s standards of living and destabilise the country.
“However, these sinister manoeuvres were successfully resisted thanks to combined effort, grit and resilience of the people of Zimbabwe, the defence forces, law enforcement agencies and the country’s political leadership,” the President said. The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces urged the nation and the security arms to remain focused in the face of open aggression from the country’s adversaries.
We would like to concur with the President and urge the nation and the security establishment to jealously guard the country’s independence and defend its right to self determination. Zimbabwe cannot afford to compromise on its founding principles, values and ethos just to please powerful countries with bully-boy tendencies. It reserves the right to defend its territory and God-given natural resources of which it is richly endowed. For years, the British plundered our resources during the colonial era but now Zimbabweans have an opportunity to benefit from their resources through such programmes as the indigenisation and economic empowerment and the land reform.
History will judge us harshly if we do not heed the President’s call to economically empower ourselves.
Since the country discovered diamonds in the Marange area, there have been spirited attempts by the United States and Britain to influence the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme in the sale of gems. Our security organs therefore have an onerous task of instituting effective responsive solutions to such unjustified and provocative initiatives to interfere in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe. Such manoeuvres should enjoin the country’s defence forces and other security arms to be always extra vigilant and be ready to defend the country anytime
We are glad that Zimbabwe’s security forces have one of the best records in terms of professional conduct and this can be seen in the various peace-keeping missions they have conducted around Africa. Despite repeated attempts to engineer unrest and revolt in the country through the strangulation of the economy wrought by ruinous sanctions, the security sector has maintained peace and stability even when its own resources were stretched.
Their loyalty and dedication to service should be noted and praised. We implore them to maintain the high standards they have set for themselves and put the well being of the nation first always. Their efforts shall not be in vain.
Online Reporter