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Zambia has competent army -GBM

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Defence minister Geoffrey Mwamba (in white) is helped to disembark an army gaun carrier after practicing how to shoot during the sound of war officer cadets battle demonstration in Ndola

DEFENCE Minister Geoffrey Mwamba has said Zambia has a capable army with the ability to defend the country.

Speaking after he witnessed the ‘sound of war’ officer cadets’ battle demonstration yesterday at Tug Argan Barracks in Ndola, the minister said he was happy to see that the country had a well equipped army. “From what I have seen, you’re a capable army. We are able to defend ourselves,” he said.

He encouraged the army to continue with its intensive training, saying the Government was also committed to addressing the army’s plight in various units. Mr Mwamba said the officers should remain disciplined in the execution of their duties.

“We know your challenges, and we are going to address them. I have been briefed by the army commander about some of your challenges,” he said. He said the Patriotic Front (PF) Government was committed to making sure that every Zambian had a share in the national cake.

And Zambia army Commander Paul Mihova thanked the minister for witnessing and participating in the Sounds of War demonstration. Lieutenant General Mihova said the Zambia Army was next year going to conduct a much bigger war demonstration in Lukanga where the Commander-in-Chief President Michael Sata would be invited.

And the Army Commander thanked government for its commitment to addressing the plight of the army. “The officer cadets are passing out next month. We are happy that you came to see what we do in the barracks,” he said.

And Brigade Commander Milton Njolomba said some of the officers would be involved in planning and execution of war which is why it was important to initiate them to the sound of war. “It’s important to understand the weapons you are using so that you may use them correctly,” he said.

During the sound of war exercise, eight bombs were dropped by Zambia Air Force fighter jets. Each of the bombs cost K10 million. Other weapons were used to fire at target areas in the training area.
[Times of Zambia]

editor
editorhttp://www.lusakatimes.com

145 COMMENTS

  3. Hahahahaha what is that? Can someone please tell me what that is? Is that Digistwayo from Shaka? Please people help me out   :-?

  6. So what if Zambia has a competent Army? I hope these crooks are not planning to start a War with another country. Zambians love peace and this should be maintained. Putting Wife batterers at defence and Kambwili at Foreign Affairs will definately lead this Country in to war.

  9. The Army should not be allowing civilians to see the battle training grounds , the Zambian people to not appreciate the role of the military in the country .

  10. How do we know we can win any war? Don’t even think about it we do not want to be refugees. Just because he had trouble coming out of that army gaun he thinks his army is so well trained,chinekeeeeeee !

  12. No. #6. U have cracked my ribs. I will sue you for causing occasional body harm to me. I’m laughing your comment hilarious. It must feature in the best joke for the year 2011 category..

  13. look at the soldiers ,they are also laughing,at how the DM struggled to come out .good job just laugh no help.can thisDM run in terms of war,MCS said he can try but he asked what GBM?

    • On what grounds?!?! cos he sat his fat butt on an army vehicle and said we could defend ourselves, you say he is the right person? let me ask you this, if (God forbid) we had enemies, and had to actually wage war, what would be his role in that and how would your opinion prove itself??

  17. Mwaba and Mpangula, please spare the Minister. It’s a good military drill he was undergoing and needed our support. But i think they should get him a bigger Gun carrier than the one they gave him. It was a mockery to the minister and i think the whole Team should be thrown into the Guard room for not checking the size of the Elephant of Zambia.

  18. You don’t conclude that we are capable of winning wars by the sheer sound of a big gun mr Minister, next time visit countries like Lybia. Oh! go to Syria and make assesment, then come back and tell us if at all we are really ready.

  19. Zambians are not serious. 13 posts and no one has failed to notice the wastage of k80 million on bombs used in demonstration. How many of these demos are done per year per barak. We could be talking about 100,000 bombs exploded a year each costing 10million.

  22. I am skeptical on the Ministers’ assertion that our ‘Army is well equipped’. If the case was so why do we see openly the lack the basic military requirements such as transport in short supply. I can only speculate on the actual military hardware we have if it is not from the 50’s & 60’s let alone the respectable defensive equipment to defend ourselves. We still need serious military material re-equipping. Saying the truth is better than making people move about in false hope. Time for TOTAL secrecy in what arsenal a country posses is long gone, how many times do we hear in international news media and reports on what military hardware countries are acquiring. The tax payer is entitled to know where his/her money is going. 

  23. I thought the heading would be “Zambia has competent army but incompetent minister of defence”. Ba Lusakatimes please learn to put appropriate headings.

  24. You cannot defend the country effectively with outdated equipment. GBM, take a tour to RSA or our neighbour Angola or Rwanda, Uganda…. see how advanced their army have invested.

    • lol. omg thats cracking. ati mixed sand awe sure with all its names (Daga, Mpulungu,Siavonga etc) One white man scoulded the neighbour through the window after getting the kapenta smell ati “hey, who is burning rubbers that is bad managers!”

  31. We made a terrible mistake to put these crooks into power! Now damn well gonaa pay for it. The worst of all is their boss Satan who is appointing fugitives into is Govt. Stiff-necked fools that what they are. Chungu permanent sec! for heaven sake what has gone wrong with Micheal Sata. Is this the development he was preaching about to bring in 90 days? Only one reason can be envisaged from this appointment, that is more stealing before the man hits 80 years. These are crooks who know when to steal and where to steal. Zambians made a fatal error by putting these criminals into power. Who will wipe out our tears of pain of suffering. Our children cry and die slowly put painfully in what we call hospitals deprived of drugs. Maybe it is the time we took up arms because no one wi defend us

  32. “Mwaina shani Ba tata ne nsala eyi tukwete muno calo. Muye ku Srenje police bakamipushe bwino.” I just remembered a ballard coined by Destroyer Nkandu. This guy is not healthy!

  37. The guy does not know what he is talking about. We need mechanical engineers, aeronautical engineers, aerospace engineers, pilots, chemical engineers, medical specialists, nurses, and GPS specialists in our armed forces. The gun shown is an old design, and there are new ones that are radar guided and require computer programming skills to be prepared. Our army can only fight second world war type wars and not modern ones. Our jet fighters, K-8s  are nothing but advanced trainers. Ask Israelis if at all they go to war with trainers! Our MIG-21 are not modified to modern technical specs and are therefore good enough for our museum. Ask India why they retired  all their MIG-21 fighters last year! They are now flying modern SU-30s and MIG-29s. Even Sudan has MIG-29s. We are outdated.

  39. @28 AP – I agree with you – and they still support them on empty stomachs – ha!

    lol he is getting fatter by the day. Chidumbo maliketi kapompa saladi

  40. Brothers and Sisters, our African culture does not allow us to laugh at a person who may have some disabilities. Sure the minister is overweight but some people have those body structures where they cant help themselves much. Judge the man by his work perfomance, just give them a fair chance.

    • you are  right my friend, people should have respect, you may not be known but God sees you . remember the minister is made in Gods image.so let people watch there comment. 

  41. #35, you have killed me!!!!! Ok seriously this guy needs to loose some weight. He is the MOD, shouldn’t he be leading by example in terms of fitness and physique!! Not even a landmine can dismember the guy

  43. He has heart attack written all over him. It’s always best not to over indulge, the health problems obesity causes is no laughing matter.

  44. ..lol looks like “Porky” made the soldiers day…hahahaha look you at the dude behind GBM so funny his clapping his hands…then theres the dude in the top left corner dark like night but you can see his teeth! then theres the guy further-est in the pic trying so hard to hold it in his making a run for it before he bursts out laughing…then my man this is “Kodak Moment” he pulled the camera phone….hahahaha

  46. This man should start his own reality show! The biggest looser.. He sure needs to loose some kgs.. Well observed ati humpty dumpty..

  47. @#44 Iwe Conman.This man can never get on top. Please stop it. He would be charged for murder after ntwenekane. What woman would support all that fat? She has to be like him and if that is the case then missionary becomes impossible! Just saying!

  48. “During the sound of war exercise, eight bombs were dropped by Zambia Air Force fighter jets. Each of the bombs cost K10 million. Other weapons were used to fire at target areas in the training area.”
    It is cheaper to use Simulators and flour bombs.

  50. @44…obvious “bala mwafwa” madam has zero workload GBM no match fitness! that is if she can even find behind and/or under that stomach????

  51. Whata fat defence minister. can he even withstand the pressure of war and what proof is he having by saying the army is well trained etc? what about the stories of Sierra Leone war, sudan aregations etc and the zambian soldires. I hope they have improved. They can still do better.

  52. nichichani icho….K80 million blown to pieces just like that….could that money not have been used to benefit a few starving folks??? and someone is boasting that a bigger demo would be done…for what??? they really walk among us and unfortunately they also breed…

  54. After looking at the photo, I am now feeling more confident of the pf administration, surely the future of our country is in safe hands. Big up to the wife batterer. Does anybody know if  is true that the injuries Mrs Mwamba sustained were due to her husband sitting on her?

  55. There is no master in Art of war fools. you expect casualties from Both sides even if simple Zambia was go war with a super power. 
    Guerra welfare is most difficult and claimed about 5000 US troops. So stop embarrassing yourself because war is war and it is not good at all. 

  57. How is this guy going to make our army leaner and fitter than ever when he himself is just a blob of fat? Awe mwe. This guy is Mr. diabetes and BP in waiting. He cannot even run when forced to run for cover. He is basically an sick person masquerading as a normal man.

  58. Dream on the way Idi Amin did.
    With dilapidated ZAF planes and no sensible fighter jets how can they be competent?
    In 1964 our Army inherited the following from the colonial officers:
    • brigade headquarters in Ndola;• two infantry battalions;• one armour squadron;• one artillery battery;• one squadron of engineers;• one signals squadron;• one transport squadron;• one medical unit; and• one training school.
    And guess what? We still have the very same structures after 40 years. Tulo!!!!!!

  59. This is what we were talking about when this big piece of chunk meat was sworn in as MOD. A big let down indeed. 

  60. I believe even Libya’s rebels have more weapons than the entire Zambia Army. That firing equipment GBM sat on is actually mounted on every Libyan Toyota Landcruiser  and just because his arse couldn’t take it when he sat on it doesn’t mean Zambia is competent with such basic guerilla equipment?  If it’s for the sake of a photo op why not use state of the art equipment (if you have any) and then open your mouth? Soon it will be Angola or Mozambique saying we’re competent and then in trying to prove who is who, you know what will happen next?

  61. peaking on people who doesn’t know anything about how defence works he can say any thing b’coz he is trying 2 keep his job. ” Tribelism mubuteko”.  

  70. how man people has Sata fired today guys. we are used we need such staories each new day. coz zambia has a lot of money to pay this guys travel back

  74. what military knowledge has gbm got to tell us that the army is competent? he is only a food supplier and i will not suprised if becomes a tenderprenuer and be charged for single sourcing when pf leaves power

  76. All those wanting to lose weight visit spark people.com its a great site. i have tried it i now look and feel great.

  81. hahahahahahaha!! Take the dude to mushili commando barraks to be used as a punching bag……they are training for angola!

  82. During the sound of war exercise, eight bombs were dropped by Zambia Air Force fighter jets. Each of the bombs cost K10 million. Other weapons were used to fire at target areas in the training area.

  83. Our bombs are not modern ones, they are cheap, cast iron type. They cannot be guided, but fall wherever gravity pulls them. These type of bombs just blow up things without any guidance. They are not meant for modern wars where target selection is also a science. Our defence minister could become a bomb on his own accord due to his heavy weight!

  84. Way to go GBM!!!!!!!!!!! you are showing us that you are a man of the people, you are good leader and you will make a difference in the army……… and come 2016 you will win the presidential elections under PF……..

  85. #37:you are spot on.
    In addition: Zambia Army/Airforce are just primitive compared to our neighbours like Angola. I’m aware that Zambia has 3 MIG-23s bought during Chiluba’s time after Angola threatened to sort us out. But again this is nothing compared to Angola’s MIG-29As which are much superior in the air as far as dog fighting is concerned. 
    A bomb worth K10m in millitary cricles is just like a toy!! Remember the USA used $1m cruise misiles to level Gadaffi’s defences. Angola has much more accurate Surface to Air missiles which can flatten Lusaka with ease. Besides our Radar is outdated and cannot withstand Angolan arsenal at any level.
    However, this is understood given our peanut military spending. But it was going to be fair if the DM was given a tutorial on our defence.

  86. Why spend on military equipment???? In this part of the world, the word war will soon be extinct. Because of selfish politicians, maybe the word civil war will continue to exist. Soldiers must be integrated into the National Service or paramilitary police. Its high time they did some thing useful like farming and road constraction. Come to think of it, geting paid and receiveing a pension for doing NOTHING and NOTHING AT ALL!!! A waste of national resoucres INDEED!!!.

  88. People should think about what they say, dont be rude to other people and mock them, no one is perfect. Its nice we live in a democratic country and have freedom of speech, but thats not how you take advantage of it, its clear the minister isnt slim, but so what, its sad what makes people laugh these days, we should be voicing our analytical opinions and not having laughs out of these things, lets be mature citizens, this isnt primary school.

  90. Well, his body size is sure evidence of greed and gluttony….Why are we talking about competence in war?? How immature are these leaders to be making such irresponsible statements? Imagine how our neighbors are viewing such a statement? Especially Malawi that we have been having unnecessary altercations just to satisfy the Presidents ego… Totally irresponsible and immature…    

  91. That stuff that impressed GBM is outdated.I’ve seen some ww2 guns and they look very good but they’re nothing compared to modern howitzers,artillery or laser guided munitions.We have type 59 tanks that were produced from 1959-80 and PT-76 light tanks from the same age.Its easy for someone who’s not familiar with the military to be over impressed by aged equipement.

  93. Could the minister explain to the nation what three senior ZAF officers are doing in China (Are in China since Friday)? It is understood they have gone to purchase planes for ZAF. Are we preparing for war? Are the priorities right? How the funding is being done as budget is yet to be presented (though the defence is not debated) in parliament?

  96. genetically obese, he can not reduce weight no matter what..most of our army officers are overweight and need to reduce weight by cleaning our towns thrice a week.

  99. You so  fat God told you he had no room in heaven and the devil said there was no room in hellYou so fat you need to  drive a spandex carYou so fat when you step on a scale it says, “To Be Continued…”You so fat even Bill Gates couldn’t pay for your liposuction
    You so fat even Sata is considering firing you as  the taxpayers money might not be enough to feed you You so fat  Sata is embarrassed to take you out in case the restaurant runs out of foodYou so fat   that when you go to State House Sata tells the chefs to go on strikeYou so fat that when you go to State House Sata asks you sit on the floor so you don’t break his chairs

  100. You so  fat God told you he had no room in heaven and the devil said there was no room in hell.-You so fat you need to  drive a spandex car.-You so fat when you step on a scale it says, “To Be Continued…”-You so fat even Bill Gates couldn’t pay for your liposuction.-
    You so fat even Sata is considering firing you as  the taxpayers money might not be enough to feed you. -You so fat  Sata is embarrassed to take you out in case the restaurant runs out of food.-You so fat   that when you go to State House Sata tells the chefs to go on strike.-You so fat that when you go to State House Sata asks you sit on the floor so you don’t break his chairs.

  104. You so fat that when you fart poisonous gases are released that Sata has to wear a gas mask

  108. You so fat that a normal sized toilet is not big enough for your matakos 

  109. GBM saw the military equipment for the first time today.As a Minister he had to say something.He thinks our army can fight with America.I’m still wondering what was going on in his head when he was pulling the trigger.SHOOTING HIS WIFE,SHOOTING NFCA MINERS,SHOOTING LT BLOGGERS,ATTACKING OBAMA OR WAMUTHARIKA!!!Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.Dont Kubeba!!!!!!!

  110. Can GBM lose approx 40kg in 5 years?
    Let him show that he is not eating extra now and a good diet of vegetables will help him.

    What experience does GBM have to know the army is capable of defending the country?
    Does Zambia have guided missile systems?
    Is Lusaka airport radar part of the national network?
    How long would it take for GBM to get out of his car and make it into the war room?

  111. well its the same ppl, business as usual, jst lie and its a tick in the box that equipment is out dated zambia has old stuff got friends in the army i know and have see it physically.

  114. How do soldiers even respect such a man? To be a minister of defence don’t you have to have some authoritative figure that can command respect. Appointing him Minister of defence is like appointing Steven Hawking the president of the acrobatic society, just doesn’t make any sense

  115. @Dziko langa I feel on your #37 comment above. We need up to date war fighting capabilities for our defence forces to be able to defend our country very well. But on the flip side do we really need them? They could be quite expensive and Zambia is not really at war with anyone. I can’t imagine any country wanting to invade us; I mean wait until we discover Gold, Diamonds or Oil. As much as it is always good to be prepare because war could start anytime, any day I reckon we should first channel our meagre resources to improving the lives of our suffering people.

  116. As for the minister being over-weight, yes he is and he probably needs to do something about it (he could consider gastric surgery by-pass because he can afford it). However the many bloggers passing offensive comments, they say when you live in a glass house don’t throw stones. I don’t believe the many people writing on this blog are all slim, health and fit… especially those writing from overseas – many of you are either fat or know some related and close to you who is fat. Many Zambians I have come across overseas are mostly over-weight and fat – may be not to GBM size but still over-weight. So please stop the mockery, look into the mirror and get real!

  117. 80 bombs worth 10 million each dropped just to impress that fat pig! 800 million gone in one hour! what a waste of money. I could have been paid my pension from that amount

  119. GBM: “Ehhh imwe get me out of here ala! I said I can shot a gun while standing mwalenga na nkotola ichipuna tsk! I mean na nkotola itayela chopeti…Camaan Sgt. help me out of here…. iwe chi Brigidier fimo-fimo. Yaba I told Sata to put me ku Agriculture nga nachila cheta Chicken shawama chilya chi bazi/bun nefi koko fulu.

  120. 117 and all u others who are exposing your ignorance, 80m is nothing for a military training session, these costs are suppossed to be there in our budget. u think we will buy bombs and keep them till there is a war. weapons have to be tested u dimwits, thats why defence costs the nation huge amounts, just ask jimbo he’ll tell u.

    • you lost child.. We have serious military hardware and equipement.. thats why we were feared in the region. what do you think we did to them.. lose them?? FYI everything is saleable during war time and everything will be done to buy whateverer weapons we need, even if it means sending all the ignorant spoilt brats on this blog to physically work in Maamba Collieries for that Coal!! Dont play with war.. there nothing like me am a doctor, economist accountant, am fat, thin, hypertensive, diabetic…. you all go to the armoury, pick up weapons.. if you die you die.. Fighter jets ? we have them.. we have the MIG29s chaps think we dont. the are ll buried undergound guarded by elite troops 247 and cannot move.. you think we can use those for practice?? dull all of you

  123. No man. How can a person in that position be over weight. It’s embarrassing. Sata he needs to set an example. He needs to lose weight before the 90 day period is up. Put him on a diet.

  125. Bashi Chilekwa buy more power arms please, soon and very soon we shall need to target practice on the BRE 1st, this is just the begining boys, we needed the defence ministry

  127. Excellent points altogether, you simply gained a new reader. What might you recommend about your post that you simply made some days in the past? Any sure?

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