News / National
Zim military will not respect puppets - Major General
05 Jun 2012 at 02:04hrs | Views
THE military establishment supports Zanu-PF policies of defending the country's sovereignty and empowering ordinary Zimbabweans and will not respect any leader who does not cherish the gains of the liberation struggle, a senior army officer said yesterday.
Addressing scores of mourners and army officers during the funeral parade of Lieutenant-Colonel Thabani Khumalo at Imbizo Barracks, Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Chief of Staff (Administration) Major General Trust Mugoba said the army will not allow any politician to reverse the gains of the liberation struggle.
"Society must understand that the land reform and the indigenisation programmes are part of our revolutionary history," he said.
"As the military, we do not only believe, but act in defence of these values and we will not respect any leader who does not respect the revolution.
"We will not even allow them to go into office because they do not represent the ideology we fought for. As the military establishment, we have an ideology that is represented in the mission of Zanu-PF. History should teach us to defend that ideology if we are to protect the nation. This is what Lt-Col Khumalo stood for."
Maj-Gen Mugoba said the gains of independence should be jealously guarded by all as they were a reminder of the bones of the freedom fighters that were scattered in the bushes across the country and in neighbouring countries such as Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and Angola.
He said independence has granted Zimbabweans the right to determine their own destiny and freedom to make their own laws and regulations.
Said Maj-Gen Mugoba: "As a people we have a right to determine our own destiny. We need no lectures of interference from anyone else.
"We also have a right to have access to the resources of this country. This we shall defend with our blood as we have always stated."
Lt-Col Khumalo's was buried at the Bulawayo Provincial Heroes Acre in Nkulumane with full military honours.
Speakers described him as a true liberation war hero who bravely defended the country before and after independence. Bulawayo Governor Cain Mathema said Lt-Col Khumalo was against discriminating anyone and urged Zimbabweans to emulate his example. He said Lt-Col Khumalo, who was the chairperson of the Hlalani Kuhle/Garikai Housing project in Cowdray Park, worked tirelessly to provide people of Bulawayo with houses.
"Many of our people today have accommodation because of Lt-Col Khumalo," said Governor Mathema.
He said Lt-Col Khumalo fought the settler establishment so that people could have both political and economic independence.
Zanu-PF Politburo member Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said Zimbabweans should cherish their independence and remain united in order to defeat imperialists' machinations.
The provincial administrator for the war veterans association Boniface Ndlovu said his association was fully behind President Mugabe's leadership.
Lt-Col Khumalo (57) died after a short illness at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) on Wednesday last week.
He was born on 5 September 1955 in Filabusi and went to Swazi Primary School and Mtshabezi Secondary School. Lt-Col Khumalo joined the liberation struggle in 1976 and did his initial training at Mwembeshi Training Camp in Zambia. He was then deployed in the Bulilima and Mangwe areas and was then recalled back to
Zambia in 1978 for further training in the then Soviet Union where he graduated as an infantry company commander.
After graduation, he was redeployed and appointed company commander of the IST battalion in Chirundu under the command of Retired Major-General Stanford Khumalo, who was popularly known as Madliwa.
At ceasefire he went to Gwayi River Mine Assembly Point. Lt-Col Khumalo was attested into the Zimbabwe National Army on 14 July 1980 as a Lieutenant and rose through the ranks.
He is survived by wife, Nomusa and six children, Mncedisi, Busani, Belinda, Nonhlanhla, Mandlenkosi and Nobukhosi.
Four Brigade Commander Brigadier General Chancellor Diye, Headquarters Bulawayo District Commander Col Exsebios Vusa Tshuma, Zanu-PF Bulawayo acting chairman Killian Sibanda, Central Committee members and senior police and Zimbabwe Prison Services officers attended the burial.
Addressing scores of mourners and army officers during the funeral parade of Lieutenant-Colonel Thabani Khumalo at Imbizo Barracks, Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Chief of Staff (Administration) Major General Trust Mugoba said the army will not allow any politician to reverse the gains of the liberation struggle.
"Society must understand that the land reform and the indigenisation programmes are part of our revolutionary history," he said.
"As the military, we do not only believe, but act in defence of these values and we will not respect any leader who does not respect the revolution.
"We will not even allow them to go into office because they do not represent the ideology we fought for. As the military establishment, we have an ideology that is represented in the mission of Zanu-PF. History should teach us to defend that ideology if we are to protect the nation. This is what Lt-Col Khumalo stood for."
Maj-Gen Mugoba said the gains of independence should be jealously guarded by all as they were a reminder of the bones of the freedom fighters that were scattered in the bushes across the country and in neighbouring countries such as Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and Angola.
He said independence has granted Zimbabweans the right to determine their own destiny and freedom to make their own laws and regulations.
Said Maj-Gen Mugoba: "As a people we have a right to determine our own destiny. We need no lectures of interference from anyone else.
"We also have a right to have access to the resources of this country. This we shall defend with our blood as we have always stated."
Lt-Col Khumalo's was buried at the Bulawayo Provincial Heroes Acre in Nkulumane with full military honours.
Speakers described him as a true liberation war hero who bravely defended the country before and after independence. Bulawayo Governor Cain Mathema said Lt-Col Khumalo was against discriminating anyone and urged Zimbabweans to emulate his example. He said Lt-Col Khumalo, who was the chairperson of the Hlalani Kuhle/Garikai Housing project in Cowdray Park, worked tirelessly to provide people of Bulawayo with houses.
He said Lt-Col Khumalo fought the settler establishment so that people could have both political and economic independence.
Zanu-PF Politburo member Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said Zimbabweans should cherish their independence and remain united in order to defeat imperialists' machinations.
The provincial administrator for the war veterans association Boniface Ndlovu said his association was fully behind President Mugabe's leadership.
Lt-Col Khumalo (57) died after a short illness at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) on Wednesday last week.
He was born on 5 September 1955 in Filabusi and went to Swazi Primary School and Mtshabezi Secondary School. Lt-Col Khumalo joined the liberation struggle in 1976 and did his initial training at Mwembeshi Training Camp in Zambia. He was then deployed in the Bulilima and Mangwe areas and was then recalled back to
Zambia in 1978 for further training in the then Soviet Union where he graduated as an infantry company commander.
After graduation, he was redeployed and appointed company commander of the IST battalion in Chirundu under the command of Retired Major-General Stanford Khumalo, who was popularly known as Madliwa.
At ceasefire he went to Gwayi River Mine Assembly Point. Lt-Col Khumalo was attested into the Zimbabwe National Army on 14 July 1980 as a Lieutenant and rose through the ranks.
He is survived by wife, Nomusa and six children, Mncedisi, Busani, Belinda, Nonhlanhla, Mandlenkosi and Nobukhosi.
Four Brigade Commander Brigadier General Chancellor Diye, Headquarters Bulawayo District Commander Col Exsebios Vusa Tshuma, Zanu-PF Bulawayo acting chairman Killian Sibanda, Central Committee members and senior police and Zimbabwe Prison Services officers attended the burial.
Source - TH
