Zanu-PF militia gets refresher courses ahead of elections

ZANU-PF has started retraining its notorious youth militia - popularly known as Green Bombers - under the National Youth Service (NYS) programme, as the nation hurtles towards 2018 elections.

In the past, the dreaded Green Bombers have been a major tool used by the ruling President Robert Mugabe-led Zanu-PF to intimidate and mobilise people to vote for the party.

This comes as 93-year-old Mugabe has called for the return of the NYS programme.

His calls, however, received fierce criticism from many Zimbabweans who view the programme as beneficial to Zanu-PF and not the country.

The Southern News has it on good authority that at least 60 youths from Bulawayo have since commenced refresher training - involving drills and orientation - at the Jairos Jiri Centre in the city.

Former Zanu-PF provincial youth chair, Khumbulani Mpofu, who is now one of the training officers yesterday admitted that the training were underway.

"As you know that NYS is always an on-going programme, it 's nothing new," he told Southern News.

"What we have been doing at Jairos Jiri is that we have invited our ward officers in Bulawayo and they are the ones who are going through the training. In fact, they are officers within our Youth ministry, so basically they are completing some key lessons which they omitted during their intensive first NYS training," Mpofu said.

Quizzed about the move being part of Zanu-PF 's election strategy in which the youths are highly likely to be deployed as storm troopers, Mpofu said: "That 's not the case, the problem is the image of the programme has been tarnished but this is all about discipline. It 's not partisan at all. Even if you come and check the curriculum you will understand what I am talking about."

He said the programme will run for nearly three weeks, with Youth minister, Patrick Zhuwawo, expected to officiate at the graduation.

Sources who spoke to this paper said the training was on the back of a circular issued recently by the Youth ministry ordering commencement of the programme.

The programme is reportedly going under the moniker ini newe tinebasa/mina lawe silomsebenzi.

This paper also understands that an order of uniforms for trainees has already been placed and was expected anytime this week.

The programme was introduced in 2000 by the late Zanu-PF national commissar, Border Gezi, with the first camp established at Mt Darwin in 2001.

It has churned out thousands of graduates throughout the country.

According to the United States Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2010, the NYS - suspended in 2007 due to lack of funding - provided militia training to approximately 80 000 youths at more than 150 camps.

The youths took part and became integral members of Mugabe 's violent policies, including taking part in land invasions.

Mugabe has on numerous occasions defended NYS, saying the training programme is necessary to instil national pride, discipline and moral uprightness among the youths.

Analysts have said the reintroduction of NYS was going to eat into the fiscus of an already struggling government which is struggling to pay civil servants on time.