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Zvamaida Murwira Harare Bureau
THE 35th Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day to be celebrated today at the National Sports Stadium will be a spectacle, starting with the flypast which will be done differently, with many jets involved in the act. The ZDF usually uses four jets which flypast the giant stadium in a diamond formation during the singing of the national anthem but a bigger number has been slated for today.

This will be complemented by lots of entertainment in the form of parachute displays, drills and live musical performances by popular musicians.

ZDF spokesperson Colonel Overson Mugwisi said in an interview yesterday that people will be kept busy with the activities lined up at the event.

“We’ll have a flypast, but not an ordinary one, but a grand flypast with many jets,” he said. “After President Mugabe’s speech, there will be parachute drops. After displays, we have music. There’ll be Alick Macheso and Jah Prayzah. Both of them have assured us that they’ll give top class entertainment.”

Col Mugwisi said the event would be capped with a soccer match between a ZDF select team against premier league giants Dynamos.

Thousands of people from all walks of life are expected to throng the stadium to commemorate the day in honour of men and women who have consistently defended the territorial integrity of the country.

President Mugabe, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the ZDF, will lead the main commemoration in the capital, while provincial affairs ministers will superintend events in various centres.

Foreign dignitaries at the commemorations will include Angola’s Deputy Chief of General Staff for Patriotic Education General Antonio Edidio De Sousa Santos and Pakistan’s Vice Chief of Airforce Air Marshal Saeed Muhammad Khan.

Col Mugwisi said the force continued to celebrate its untainted legacy where they have diligently carried out both national and international assignments.

“We’ve a lot of successes,” he said. “As ZDF, we’ve never faltered in defence of our country. We’ve defended our country well in whatever assignments we have been given.”

Col Mugwisi said ZDF executed well its tour of duty in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola and today’s commemoration would enable them to celebrate and reflect such achievements.

He said ZDF was renowned in the Sadc region for offering training to other countries.

Zanu-PF Harare provincial political commissar Cde Shadreck Mashayamombe urged all Harare residents to attend the ZDF, saying transport will be available at the usual pick-up points.

“We invite Harare residents to come in their thousands to celebrate ZDF Day,” he said. “We’re proud of ZDF’s achievements and we invite people to come so that we can celebrate together with ZDF.”