Fuel and food shortages plague military staff at Inkomo barracks

By Tererai Karimakwenda
05 September 2006

The majority of army and air force personnel who operate from the Inkomo Barracks in Darwindale live at home and are usually ferried to their base by bus. But our Harare correspondent reports that they have now been forced to live at the barracks on a rotational basis due to critical fuel shortages. Simon Muchemwa said this has created another problem- food shortages.

Muchemwa explained that most of the military staff at Inkomo Barracks normally eat at home in the morning and in the evening, when they return from their duties. They are provided with only lunch at the base in Darwindale. But the soldiers and air force personnel now have to live at the base on duty for 2 weeks, then go off for 2 weeks. This way no buses are needed on a daily basis to transport staff from town to base and back again.

Muchemwa said the increased number of military staff now living at the base has created severe food shortages. And junior officers are reported to be hit the hardest. According to Muchemwa they are angry because they are not being allowed to go home where they have food while their bosses, the senior officials, drive home daily to eat.

The irony of the situation is that soldiers have been managing production on some of the farms selected by government under “Operation Taguta”. Yet they are going hungry because there isn’t enough food. A report by the Solidarity Peace Trust earlier this year found that the army had taken over the management of agricultural production in large areas of Matabeleland. Villagers in those areas said soldiers were taking their meagre harvests without paying them. It appears that Operation Taguta has not been successful enough to fill all the military stomachs.

Muchemwa said despite the long queues that are visible everywhere, the government still claims there are no food shortages in its propaganda messages on radio and television. But the reality on the ground is that there is no mealie meal and fuel is in short supply and very expensive. Even soldiers cannot escape that reality.