The director of the Zimbabwe National Army public relations Lieutenant-Colonel Alphios Makotore yesterday released a statement in which the military disowned Rushmore Nyamutata who was convicted of stealing four chickens. The ZNA wanted to make it clear that Nyanutata was not on active service as he was discharged in 2014.
Part of the statement reads:
The ZNA would like to disown Rushmore Nyamutata, who was convicted of stealing four chickens and sentenced to 10 days or to pay a fine of $50 by a Mutare Magistrates’ Court on 24 May 2017
The ZNA would like to categorically state that Nyamutata ceased to be a member of the Zimbabwe National Army in 2014, having been discharged on disciplinary grounds.
Nyamutata, who was serving under 1 Mechanised Battalion at Inkomo Barracks, was discharged from the ZNA on 19 May 2014 for contravening paragraph 15 (2)(a) of the First Schedule to the Defence Act (Chapter 11:02).
He absented himself Without Official Leave for 116 days and was tried by the General Court Martial, which sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment and discharged him from the ZNA.
To put the record straight, this is no longer the case as Nyamutata was discharged from the army in May 2014.
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