Community Assistance Week: A precursor to ZDF Day celebrations
IT HAS now become customary in the Zimbabwe Defence Forces that annually they run a ZDF Community Assistance Week.
This will be a week before the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day.
ZDF community week was set aside to give members of the Defence Forces an opportunity to interact with the communities within their tactical areas of responsibility through undertaking projects such as construction of schools, hospitals or any other infrastructure, bridges and other projects to assist communities to fight challenges they are facing.
During this period, ZDF embarks on carefully selected projects where the force carries out various activities to help the communities to which they belong.
Most often when people see soldiers they think of fighting wars. There is this most popular question which goes: “What is it that soldiers will be doing during peacetime when there will be no war?”
The ZDF does not only fight wars, but has other roles to play to ensure the community it stands to protect and defend from any form of aggression has an improved quality of life to enjoy.
A soldier was born, bred and nurtured in a community, the very society where he belongs. What only makes the difference is that he or she is there primarily to defend the country’s territo- rial integrity, hard-worn independence, sovereignty and national interests. It is the training for the job that defines a soldier, but he or she remains a member of the community.
Members of the ZDF have proven skills, knowledge and competencies that can effectively be utilised in various sectors on the nation, making the defence forces an integral partner in the country’s progress and development. They also have reputable qualities of discipline, integrity, commitment, a culture of hard work and record of accomplishment with excellence of execution areas, which this country dearly needs.
The ZDF through its various arms provides a diverse array of community oriented programmes aimed at improving the quality of life to the general public particularly in less privileged societies. Those community assistance projects are primarily meant to contribute to the common good of the nation and local communities and are not meant to benefit any particular interest group and will not result in any monetary or service remuneration in any form. These projects can be categorically outlined as military assistance to civil communities, military assistance to civil power and military assistance to civil ministries as mandated by the Constitution and the Defence Act.
Military aid to civil communities involves communities putting together requisite resources and approaching the ZDF for free labour and technical expertise.
It also involves assistance in emergencies such as disasters like the flood rescue operation which took place in West Nicholson, Matebeleland South along the Umzingwane River when 12 people were marooned while gold panning on January 31, 2017.
The rescue team from Commando Regiment and Air Force of Zimbabwe used an AB412 helicopter to successfully bring to safety all the marooned gold panners. Military aid to civil power refers to a situation when the armed forces are involved in the form of internal security assisting the local author- ities to help restore law and order in the country.
A typical example is the deployment of 3 Infantry Brigade’s members along the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border in support of the Zimbabwe Republic Police and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority to help curb smuggling of goods through illegal entry points.
Military aid to civil ministries involves other civil ministries seeking military assistance on urgent services of national importance, such as helping maintaining supplies and services essential to life, health and safety of the community during industrial strikes and disputes.
Examples of such assistance include the deployment of military medical professionals in clinics and hospitals in the event of industrial strikes. The ZDF basing on the principle of human security will find itself assisting the needy whilst a solution will be worked out from the relevant ministries.
Included in the provision of military assistance to civil communities is the construction and maintenance of schools, hospitals and clinics, roads and bridges, just to mention a few.
Various Formations and Units are carrying out a diverse number of community assistance projects in their various tactical areas of responsibilities. To this end, 3 Infantry Brigade, the Brigade responsible over Manicaland Province is being involved in various community oriented programmes across the province.
Some of the projects have been handed over to their beneficiaries including the Mutsamvu Primary School project which was recently handed over on July 21. 3 Infantry Brigade’s engineers partnered with Delta Beverages Company in the construction of two blocks of two classrooms each, a six-hole pupils’ toilet block and two staff toilets, with Delta Company providing the funding for the project, while ZDF chipped in by providing labour and technical expertise.
Other projects the formation is undertaking across the province include the construction of a classroom block at Mount Carmel Primary School in Headlands, a dormitory at Nyatsanza High School in Hauna, a classroom block at Birchenough Bridge Primary School and a classroom block at Mugwenhi Primary School.
Structured under the banner of ZDF’s Rural Development Policy where ZDF is targeting less privileged communities and are answering to Government’s Zim-Asset blueprint’s Infrastructure Utilities Cluster.
A number of clinics, schools, bridges have been constructed or repaired by 3 Infantry Brigade personnel and have been subsequently handed over to their beneficiaries.
The force’s involvement in such assistance is meant to ameliorate the levels of hardships being experienced by the disadvantaged communities.
As members of the ZDF who are part of the community of Manicaland Province, 3 Brigade remains ready, resources permitting to be part of the developmental goals of the Province.
ZDF Community Assistance Week is annually held in honour of the long term, harmonious and productive relationship that exists between the ZDF and the community it serves.
During this week, ZDF participates in various community oriented projects in different parts of the country in advance to the commemoration of the Heroes’ Day and ZDF Day Celebrations holiday.
◆ The writer is 3 Infantry Brigade’s Public Relations Officer