Members of Zimbabwe’s armed forces have been given farm land and housing plots in a government effort to boost morale among troops, President Robert Mugabe said on Tuesday at an address to mark Defence Forces’ Day.
In a colourful ceremony at a football stadium in Harare, Mugabe — who is commander-in-chief of his country’s armed forces — said his government has made ”tremendous efforts to ensure that morale remains high among the defence forces”.
Mugabe told the packed stadium that members of the defence forces have benefited from the controversial land-reform programme launched five years ago and said they have been given plots of land to build new houses following this year’s urban clean-up campaign.
”Now the majority of Zimbabweans, including some members of the Zimbabwe defence forces, are proud occupants of commercial land, having benefited from the land-resettlement programme,” said Mugabe.
He promised another 6 000 members of the armed forces will soon be allocated land.
During Tuesday’s celebrations — described by Mugabe as ”vivacious” — troops marched past the dignitaries, carrying a portrait of the Zimbabwean president. Four recently acquired Chinese fighter jets performed a fly-by.
Speaking about an ambitious housing programme launched in the wake of a heavily criticised slum-clearance campaign, Mugabe said 600 soldiers have been given plots at Whitecliff Farm, a housing development project on the outskirts of Harare.
”The remainder will be considered in other areas,” he said.
The ceremony was shown live on state television.
This year, Zimbabwe allocated a ninth of its annual Budget to the armed forces, and its members have remained loyal despite crippling economic problems.
Mugabe said the authorities are ”constantly reviewing” salaries and allowances for the forces ”in line with economic trends”.
Zimbabwe is in its sixth year of recession. Annual inflation is more than 164%, one of the highest rates in the world.
Prices escalate on a near-weekly basis and there are shortages of many basic commodities. — Sapa-DPA