Fuel crisis impedes country’s defence capabilities

By Tichaona Sibanda
14 September 2005

There is now danger that Zimbabwe will be unable to defend itself from military aggression if attacked because of the dire fuel crisis, an opposition legislator has warned.

The MDC Head of the Transport and Communications portfolio, Murisi Zwizwai said it is a sad reality that authorities have started tapping into the army's strategic fuel reserves in order to keep the country running.

The Harare Central MP warned; 'If we are attacked as a nation, we will not be able to account for ourselves because we do not have the fuel. As long as the political situation in the country is not addressed we cannot sustain this economy by a slogan.'

If it remains like that, said Zwizwai, there is no prospect in the near future of solving the crisis.

The country has a 15 000 plus well trained army and an additional 4000 personnel from the Air Force of Zimbabwe. The National Army has five brigades, consisting of 3 battalions each strategically spread around the country.

According to well-placed military sources, a strategic concept that can be adopted by the army in a war situation is to commandeer civilian vehicles including all the fuel supplies available in the country.

The most important units that are expensive to run in the defence force are the helicopter squadrons from Manyame airbase and the fighter squadrons based at the Thornhill in Gweru.

Commenting on revelations that fuel shortages are forcing the Harare City Council to buy black market fuel, Zwizwai said they are not the only ones from the central government doing that.