FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT THE ZIMBABWE NATIONAL ARMY AND THEIR MANDATE IN ZIMBAWE: 1980-2015 BY DAVID NDLOVU R121495B A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES IN PARTIAL FULLFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN POLITICS AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AT MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY OCTOBER 2015 i RELEASE FORM NAME OF AUTHOR : DAVID NDLOVU TITLE OF PROJECT : THE ZIMBABWE NATIONAL ARMY AND ITS MANDATE IN ZIMBBABWE: 1980 - 2015 DEGREE PROGRAMME : BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCES HONOURS DEGREE IN POLITICS AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT YEAR THIS DEGREE WAS GRANT :2015 Permission is hereby granted to the Midlands State University to produce single copies of this dissertation and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purpose only. The author does not reserve other publication rights and the dissertation nor may extensive extracts from it be published or otherwise reproduced without the author’s written permission. SIGNED…………………………………………………………… PERMANENT ADDRESS : Fullers Aggregate 288 Bindura EMAIL : [email protected] DATE : OCTOBER 2015 2 APPROVAL FORM The undersigned certify that they have read and recommend to Midlands State University for acceptance, a research project entitled: The Zimbabwe National Army and their mandate in Zimbabwe: 1980- 2015 submitted by David Ndlovu in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Bachelor of Science in Politics and Public Management Honours degree. ------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- SUPERVISOR DATE ------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- CHAIRPERSON DATE 3 List of Abbreviations and Acronyms AU African Union AFZ Air Force of Zimbabwe CID Criminal Investigation Department CIO Central Intelligence Organisation CISSA Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa DRC Democratic Republic of Congo DMI Directorate of Military Intelligence GoV Government of Zimbabwe JOC Joint Operations Command MDGs Millennium Development Goals MoD Ministry of Defence MDC Movement for Democratic Change MIU Military Intelligence Unit NOKMATT North Korean Military Assistance and Training Team NYS National Youth Service NSC National Security Council NCDs Non Communicable Diseases OPC Office of President and Cabinet PISI Police Internal Security Intelligence RPTC Regional Peacekeeping and Training Centre 4 SARPCCO Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation SALW Small Arms and Light Weaponry SSR Security Sector Reforms ZANU-PF Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front ZAPU Zimbabwe African Peoples Union ZIM ASSET Zimbabwe Agenda for Socio-Economic Transformation ZEC Zimbabwe Electoral Commission ZMA Zimbabwe Military Academy ZANLA Zimbabwe National Liberation Army ZIPRA Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army ZRP Zimbabwe Republic Police ZNA Zimbabwe National Army 5 Abstract With the remarkable decrease in the outbreak of large scale wars in the 21st century which traditionally has been regarded as the sole legitimate mandate of military organisations, armies have been facing difficulties on how they can articulate their roles in peacetime periods and remain relevant in situations where their very presence is challenged and questioned. In order to sustain the military institution and respond justifiably to these challenges, governments, policy makers and the military itself began to reformulate mandates and responsibilities of military establishments on the basis of their varied and complex social, economic, ideological, technological and environmental conditions and as a way of measuring and monitoring performance, rules and laws were enacted which not only legitimated these roles but also made them legally binding and mandatory. As the mandates of armies expanded and broadened in response to changing conditions of society which required the military to balance its war and non- war functions, it became clear that the ability of the military to handle all its responsibilities as is mandated by its regulatory legal framework was strained and overstretched. The purpose of this study is to map and identify the mandates of the military during free war periods with particular reference to the Zimbabwean army and it largely seeks to answer the question of why sometimes there are variations between the mandated roles and the actual activities. The ZNA is one of those armies whose mandate has not been meaningfully articulated thus inviting a litany of complaints and queries from a variety of sources over the ability of the military to fulfil its mandate. The study focuses on the period between 1980-2015 and it endeavours to establish the degree of compliance to the legal framework by the Zimbabwean army using the data obtained from a variety of stakeholders who interact with the military on regular basis. The paper thus attempts to review, unpack and deconstructs the main debates and conceptual paraphernalia which has been arraigned to construct the arguments for or against the mandates of the military in Zimbabwe. The fundamental question: what checks and monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure and guarantee that the military acts in accordance to its mandates is also covered. The findings indicates that resource constraints are removing and compromising the ability of the army to uphold some of its mandates but there is adequate reason to believe that there is sufficient will and interest by those within the military to fulfil and honour their mandated commitments. 6 Declaration I, David Ndlovu, declare that this dissertation is the result of my own research except to the extent shown in the references. I also declare that this dissertation has not been submitted in part or in full for any other degree at any other college or university Student`s signature ............................. Date .................................... Supervisor`s signature ........................... Date .................................... 7 Acknowledgements I want to thank God for his omnipresent guidance and for the gift of life and of good mental and physical healthy. This work and anything else to my credit was only possible through his help and mercy from whose providence my burdens take flight. I also wish to unreservedly acknowledge the support and assistance rendered to me by my parents Mr and Mrs Ndlovu. I am highly indebted to them and had it not been for their generosity and benevolence and the unlimited trust and confidence they showed in me, my academic life could have been prematurely terminated long before this project.”Handigoni Kukutendai Zvakakwana”: To them i say you are my heroes!!!. I am also gratified by the support of valuable members of the family, friends, relatives and acquaintances who provided social and emotional support and thus kept me at peace with myself and my mind. In particular I appreciate the unqualified help of my long- time friend Christopher Chiwapu who’s been with me through thick and thin and whose advice and recommendations I will always cherish. I also wish to thank my supervisor Mrs Mutasa for the guidance and valuable comments on the text and content this project. I also unconditionally commend and thank myself for the perseverance and resolute determination to remain firm and loyal to my youthful ambition and long cherished dream of wanting to be a University degree holding graduate. 8 Dedications To my mother and father who endured and suffered my incessant problems, demands and pestering’s during my itinerant stint in education. 9 10 Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 ......................................................................................................................................... 15 1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 15 1.1 Background of the problem......................................................................................................... 16 1.2 Statement of the problem ............................................................................................................ 20 1.3 Justification of the study ............................................................................................................. 20 1.4 Research Objectives .................................................................................................................... 22 1.5 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 22 1.6 Delimitation of the study ............................................................................................................ 22 1.7 Limitations of the study .............................................................................................................. 23 1.8 Assumptions ................................................................................................................................ 23 1.9 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 23 1.10 Research design ........................................................................................................................ 24 1.11 Survey design ............................................................................................................................ 24 1.12 Study sample ............................................................................................................................