Hwende Warns Poor Soldier Pay Is a National Security Risk

CCC MP Chalton Hwende warns Parliament that low pay and underfunded training for Zimbabwe’s security forces pose a serious risk to public safety and national security (image source)

HARARE – Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislator Chalton Hwende has warned that poor remuneration for Zimbabwe’s security forces is not merely a welfare concern but a direct threat to public safety and national security.

Speaking during parliamentary debate on budgetary allocations to the Ministry of Defence, Hwende criticised the State for prioritising equipment and logistics while neglecting the wellbeing of soldiers, police officers and prison staff. “The first thing that I would like to speak to, before even going to fuel, vehicles and other allocations, is the welfare of workers within the Ministry of Defence,” Hwende said.

“These soldiers, police officers and prison officers are the ones who walk around with AK-47s. If you underpay them, you are putting our lives at risk.” Hwende warned that frustration among poorly paid armed personnel could have dangerous consequences. “When they get cross, we will run away even from this august House,” he said, drawing murmurs from fellow legislators.

He highlighted stark regional pay disparities, noting that soldiers in South Africa earn about US$1 200 per month, while their Zambian counterparts earn close to US$500. “In Zimbabwe, they struggle to earn about US$200, before deductions,” Hwende said. “After IMTT and other deductions, it is reduced to peanuts.”

Hwende also questioned whether government ministers were respecting resolutions adopted by their own party, referencing a ZANU PF Congress resolution calling for improved remuneration for uniformed forces. Addressing Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, he said: “I was expecting that you would listen to your own party conference. Just like the national anthem calls for unity and sacrifice, your party resolved that these workers should be paid fully.”

Beyond salaries, Hwende raised concerns over funding for training, revealing that the Ministry of Defence had received only 5.5% of the requested allocation for capacity building. “That simply means you end up with uniformed forces that are not properly trained,” he said. “You cannot partially train a soldier. It’s either full training or none at all.”

He argued that underfunding training undermines professionalism and discipline, weakening national security at a time of rising regional instability and internal pressures. Hwende’s remarks add to growing concerns over public sector remuneration, with analysts warning that sustained neglect of security-sector welfare risks eroding morale, professionalism and public trust.