Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) commander Lieutenant-General Edzai Chimonyo last week summoned military officers from the rank of corporal upwards for a staff meeting to address indiscipline, theft of rations and criminal activities involving soldiers.
According to The Independent, the meeting was held at the ZNA Staff College house at the Josiah Magama Tongogara Barracks (formerly KGVI) on Friday and attended by 500 soldiers. A soldier who attended the meeting is quoted by the publication as saying:
He [Chimonyo] was basically expressing the command element’s concerns over repeated acts of indiscipline by soldiers. Reports have been filtering in about members involved in crimes committed both within and outside the organisation.
There are also cases whereby soldiers are involved in other activities in order to survive. He particularly mentioned that soldiers’ involvement in activities such as gold panning must end immediately and this did not go down well with some of the soldiers who openly expressed disapproval of that by murmuring.
Chimonyo was accompanied by two of his top subordinates: ZNA Chief of Staff (Quartermaster Staff), Major-General Hlanganani Dube and Chief of Staff (General Staff), Major-General David Sigauke and was the only speaker during the meeting – he spoke for two hours.