'No soldiers in Zimbabwe schools'

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) has dismissed as hogwash, claims that the military has been deployed in schools to intimidate teachers.

Negative reports from the private media claimed that soldiers had been deployed to threaten and victimise striking teachers so that they remained in schools.

The reports also claimed that armed soldiers have become a common feature at roadblocks.

In a statement yesterday, the ZDF denied the claims and warned the public to be wary of media reports from some malicious organisations peddling falsehoods in a bid to soil the image of the people's force.

"The ZDF has not deployed soldiers in schools and universities as alleged by opposition voices trying hard to tarnish the image of the organisation by keeping it in the spotlight for the wrong reasons," said ZDF spokesperson Colonel Overson Mugwisi.

"This is designed to compromise the ZDF professionalism and to achieve an anti-establishment agenda."

Col Mugwisi said the public should be aware that the ZDF members manning joint roadblocks with the police were assisting them to arrest impostors who have been abusing military uniforms. On the ZDF fraternisation policy, he said this was an internal issue.

"Moreover, the fraternisation policy is not peculiar to the ZDF as it is also common practice in most defence forces," said Col Mugwisi.