Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
HUNDREDS of people thronged Garths Farm in Marula, Mangwe District in Matabeleland South to celebrate the promotion of Major-General Hlanganani Dube as the Army Chief of Staff Quartermaster.
The event saw senior defence force officers, Government officials, businesspeople and the community at large coming together amid pomp and fan-fair at the Dube homestead. Commander Zimbabwe Defence Forces General Phillip Valerio Sibanda who was the guest of honour stressed the need for officers to interact with communities around them at all times in the spirit of unity.
“When they have achieved it is important to celebrate and interact together as family, the community and officers. We are here to celebrate four milestones in this family. First, it is the promotion to Major-General Dube which was done a year ago but we could not celebrate it due to work commitments. His wife was also promoted from Captain to Major which is good. Their daughter also graduated in November and finally they are celebrating the New Year as a family,” said Gen Sibanda.
“It is good in that we have come together in the ZDF interacting with both serving and retired officers. Again we encourage our interaction with the communities around us always.”
He said the celebration brought together people from different social strata in a very commendable way. Gen Sibanda said achievements like this are only possible when the individual or family is well organised, focused and responsible.
“Allow me to talk on a common statement which is not always understood by many. This is that ‘leaders and managers do not promote people but people are promoted by the results of their hard work.’ The achievements we are celebrating today are therefore the result of hard work by the Dube family. Maj-Gen Dube and his wife did not wake up to this status from nowhere, they have a long fascinating history which requires many hours to narrate,” he said.
Gen Sibanda said in 1976 the Dubes joined the war of liberation in Zambia where they were trained and fought the Smith regime as Zipra cadres. Maj-Gen Dube once served as the Director of Operation Garikai/ Hlalani Kuhle and Operation Maguta/ Inala in Matabeleland South Province from 2005 to 2007. During the last four years up to January last year, Maj-Gen Dube was the Defence attaché to South Africa and Lesotho and was based in Pretoria. Maj-Gen Dube said he was happy to have achieved such milestones.
“Together with my family I want to thank people who came to celebrate my achievement of being promoted from the rank of Brigadier-General to Major-General Chief of Staff Quartermaster Army Headquarters. I would like to thank the ZDF leadership for entrusting me with this great responsibility and I promise to diligently deliver to their expectations. I would like to thank my family for the support they give me in my day to day duties leading to my subsequent achievements.”