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Zimbabwe army recruit dies in drowning incident during training
26 May 2025 at 08:17hrs | Views
An army recruit tragically died after drowning during training in April, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Matatu, the newly appointed Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) chief, disclosed on Friday. The revelation came as he presided over a pass-out parade at Imbizo Barracks in Bulawayo.
Out of the 500 recruits who started the rigorous eight-month training course in September last year, 489 successfully completed the program. The cohort included 129 females at the start, with 126 passing out alongside 363 males.
"Eleven recruits could not make it to today's ceremony," said Lieutenant General Matatu. "Regrettably, one very promising recruit passed away on the 6th of April in a drowning incident which we are still investigating. Ten others failed to meet the requirements of the course and were removed."
Matatu did not provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the drowning.
The intensive 36-week training covers a wide array of military skills including infantry weapons handling, field craft, minor tactics, foot and arms drills, map reading, voice procedure, conventional warfare, military law, and civil relations.
"These 36 weeks are very challenging, both physically and mentally. Here, we grow men out of boys and women out of girls," said Matatu, who was appointed army chief in March this year.
Emphasizing discipline, Matatu warned that the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) will not tolerate any form of indiscipline.
"The army is a disciplined force. There will be no leniency for members who break the law or commit offences. Anyone involved in indiscipline will face the full wrath of the law as per the Defence Act," he said.
He also cautioned recruits about the dangers of misinformation on social media, which he said aims to destabilize the general public and members of the ZNA.
"Be vigilant and alert to the threats posed by mischievous social media platforms spreading disinformation intended to subvert the populace and our forces," Matatu concluded.
Out of the 500 recruits who started the rigorous eight-month training course in September last year, 489 successfully completed the program. The cohort included 129 females at the start, with 126 passing out alongside 363 males.
"Eleven recruits could not make it to today's ceremony," said Lieutenant General Matatu. "Regrettably, one very promising recruit passed away on the 6th of April in a drowning incident which we are still investigating. Ten others failed to meet the requirements of the course and were removed."
Matatu did not provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the drowning.
The intensive 36-week training covers a wide array of military skills including infantry weapons handling, field craft, minor tactics, foot and arms drills, map reading, voice procedure, conventional warfare, military law, and civil relations.
Emphasizing discipline, Matatu warned that the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) will not tolerate any form of indiscipline.
"The army is a disciplined force. There will be no leniency for members who break the law or commit offences. Anyone involved in indiscipline will face the full wrath of the law as per the Defence Act," he said.
He also cautioned recruits about the dangers of misinformation on social media, which he said aims to destabilize the general public and members of the ZNA.
"Be vigilant and alert to the threats posed by mischievous social media platforms spreading disinformation intended to subvert the populace and our forces," Matatu concluded.
Source - ZimLive
