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Mugabe rewards army top brass
15/08/2007 12:10 - (SA)
Harare - President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has awarded medals to three top commanders in the army and air force who are considered to be among his key allies, say reports.
Constantine Chiwenga, the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces; the head of the army, Lieutenant-General Phillip Sibanda and Air Force Commander Perrance Shiri were all given medals on Tuesday, said reports.
Mugabe awarded the trio the Honour of the Grand Commander of the Zimbabwe Order of Merit during Defence Forces Day celebrations in the capital, during which he also praised the loyalty of the armed forces towards his government.
The men were honoured for their role in the country's war of independence against white minority rule three decades ago.
They were also cited for their administrative skills, and for serving in campaigns since independence in 1980.
Mugabe hails defence forces
Two of the men - Chiwenga and Shiri - commanded 5 Brigade, which spearheaded a campaign in Matabeleland and the Midlands provinces in the early 1980s, allegedly to quell disturbances by armed insurgents though rights groups said thousands of civilians were also killed.
On Tuesday, Mugabe praised the defence forces for remaining loyal amid trying economic times.
He repeated claims that his government had been forced to order price cuts in June on all goods and services to neutralise a plot by businesses to foment civil unrest by raising prices to unaffordable levels.
The price cuts had caused severe shortages of food and fuel, and many businesses ordered to sell their stock at half price said they could not afford to restock.
Ahead of presidential elections in 2002, Chiwenga and Shiri were among security chiefs who vowed that the country's defence forces would not accept victory by an opposition leader who did not participate in the country's independence war.
It was a thinly-veiled warning to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who went on to narrowly lose the presidential polls.
Political tensions were on the rise here ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for March. Mugabe and Tsvangirai were expected to once more be the main presidential contenders.
Sapa-dpa
- SAPA
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