When the War De-Professionalises Soldiers

Wartime Stories in Exile

Bibliographic Data

ID4935918
AuthorsG Maringira (0000-0001-8071-641X, University of the Western Cape, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume41
Issue6
Pages1315-1329
Publication date2015-11-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Southern African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0305-7070 • E-ISSN: 1465-3893
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03057070.2015.1084769
OpenAlexW2290404558
LanguageEN
Citations received6

The narratives of Zimbabwean soldiers who fought in the Democratic Republic of Congo war (1998–2002) have received scant attention, particularly at a time when the professionalisation of the Zimbabwean National Army (ZNA) is questioned by scholars and, largely, by the private media, in and outside Zimbabwe. This article explores accounts of soldiers who joined the ZNA in post-independence Zimbabwe: those without a liberation history. The article reveals these ex-soldiers’ accounts of their profound disappointment about the way in which the Zimbabwean army was ‘de-professionalised’ in its deployment in the DRC war. They felt that the army, particularly the commanders, became unprofessional in their practice. The men’s disappointment ranged from the poor conduct in war, lack of food and clothing, and the inability of the army to repatriate soldiers’ dead bodies from the war terrain. I argue that the accounts of de-professionalisation provide a vantage point from which to analyse the current politicisation of the Zimbabwe defence forces. The article is based on 44 life histories

Democracy · Disappointment · Military service · Narrative · Operational level of war · Political science · Politics · Red Army's tactics in World War II · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · War of independence · African history and culture studies · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Gender Studies · Law · Psychology

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