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The college commandant, Air Vice Marshal Michael Moyo, said the security forces would, through the college, want to understand the impact of Bulawayo’s problems on national security.
“We are on a tour of the country and would want to appreciate industry and its impact on national security. As a college we are concerned about economic fortunes and misfortunes of Bulawayo and want to know what you are doing as businesses,” he said.
“This is a National Defence College course, which runs over one year. The syllabus also covers theory in economics and now we have to embark on the practical side. We have been to Mutare, Manicaland and Masvingo and after this we are proceeding to Matabeleland North Province. Bulawayo is topical because of the so-called de-industrialisation and marginalisation and we want to understand the impact of those problems on national security.
“We have high ranking officers here, but students would take these findings and use them on their final academic examinations. These officers are useful to the economy because one day they will retire to the private sector and industry, which is why we are also doing such a course and tour.
The Term One leader of the National Defence Course Faculty, Air Commodore Brian Chikonzo, said the college sought to narrow the gap between the communities by becoming relevant to the situation.
“The National Defence College decided to fill the economic gap and what we are doing here must have an impact on our city’s economy. The outcry about de-industrialisation is likely to invite divisive forces. It is important to understand that it is not only Bulawayo that is de-industrialised, as other towns suffered the closure of industry as well and the difference is that Bulawayo used to be the industrial hub.
“If we do not tell the truth, Bulawayo could be the target of divisive forces. We should go back and tell the people that there is no deliberate ploy to marginalise the city,” said Air Commodore Chikonzo.
“As security forces we cannot wait for something to happen because we will be doing a disservice. This is why we are studying the environment. This Indaba has opened our eyes, we are Zimbabweans and we need to rally behind our national interests. We should know that we are one because national interests do not divide nationals.”
The security forces expressed concern over the closure of companies in Bulawayo and demanded an investigation to establish the owners of the companies that are closing.
They said most of the companies that either closed or relocated were foreign owned and had no interest of the city or country.
“We have been talking about 90 companies that either closed or relocated, but do we know who owns them and where they relocated to? We should remember that branch managers do not make decisions because that is a preserve of the owners of the company. Are we sure that if we establish the ownership pattern of these firms we would not link them to those people whose aim is to remain in control of economic activity worldwide by keeping the production branches and other branches as outlets?” said NRZ general manager, Retired Air Commodore Mike Karakadzai.
Participants said local leaders and businesspeople should learn from past mistakes.
“We allowed these things to happen. For example, Power Sales is a branch of a large chain store in South Africa and can close anytime. Belmor closed shop recently because it is wholly owned by PEP Stores in South Africa and has no other interest other than to make money,” said another participant.
The Minister of Industry and Commerce Professor Welshman Ncube is on record saying close to 100 companies have closed shop in Bulawayo rendering more than 20 000 people jobless.
Dimaf was launched in October last year, as the Government sought to resuscitate industry in Bulawayo, but the fund has been shrouded in confusion, as only a fraction of it has been disbursed but beneficiaries remain a secret.
The security forces also called for transparency in the way the fund is administered, adding that it raised eyebrows when beneficiaries are kept a secret.
“There is need for more research to find out if there are any bureaucratic issues, which the Government should have looked. There should be transparency in the way the fund is handled because we cannot have a situation where the mayor does not know, which companies got the money and how much was allocated,” said Air Commodore Chikonzo.
Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Thaba Moyo had told participants that he was not aware which companies befitted from the fund.
CABS recently said 17 firms from Matabeleland received 80 percent of the $11.4 million disbursed so far.
Online Reporter