ZNS recruitment secrecy raises eyebrows
By Thandizo Banda
THE training of over 1,500 soldiers under the Zambia National Service (ZNS) who passed out last Friday in Kabwe lacked transparency, the People’s Pact Movement has said.
People’s Pact Movement vice president for strategy Peter Sinkamba said in an interview the discreet manner in which the recent ZNS training had been conducted raised suspicion on United Party for National Development (UPND) government’s motive.
“The lack of transparency has created speculation among various stakeholders, who are wondering whether the programme was aimed at fusing a particular group of people into the security and defence wings,” Sinkamba said.
Sinkamba, who is also the Green Party (GP) president, questioned whether the programme sought to advantage the UPND in the August 13 general elections.
“Successive governments [UNIP, MMD, and PF] all used to advertise for recruitment and training in these sensitive defence and military wings,” he said.
Sinkamba said the UPND had gone against the principles it promoted while in the opposition.
He said the contradictions were seen in the manner the UPND was doing things they condemned while in the opposition.
“Zambians are wondering what has changed because UPND now seems quick at embracing the same things they had promised Zambians they would correct once elected into power in 2021,” he said.
Sinkamba warned government to be careful with its ambitious recruitment of defense and military personnel.
Meanwhile, Sinkamba expressed concern over government’s plan to deploy special forces to curb illegal mining.
“Again, government risks being misunderstood as using the special forces to safeguard the interests of some prominent political leaders having stakes in the mines. Let them intensify the fight against junkies terrorising citizens on the streets. The UPND should accept that they caused illegal mining when they failed to empower cooperators, they promised mining deals,” he said.
Responding to a query from The Mast, Ministry of Defence principal public relations officer Paul Shalala clarified that more than 1,500 recruits from intake 27 of 2024 who passed out at the ZNS Kabwe Training on Friday were drawn from serving civilian employees in the ZNS.
” President Hakainde Hichilema, the Commander-in-Chief of the Zambia Defence Force, gave a policy direction to upgrade civilian employees who had served the Service diligently,” Shalala said.
He explained the internal ZNS recruitment was meant to upgrade the civilian employees who had served well in the military sector.
