ZNA Colonel Leaves Service Penniless
![ZNA Colonel Leaves Service Penniless](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fzero.pindula.co.zw%2Fmedia%2Fnews%2Farticles%2Fzna-colonel-leaves-service-penniless_vtEzTVl.webp&w=640&q=75)
Former Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Director Ordinance, Colonel Shakeman Terrence Chizengwe, retired from the military penniless after he refused to go through a disciplinary hearing.
Chizengwe chose to leave the service without terminal benefits after years in the military to avoid General Court Martial.
While the facts regarding his dismissal remain unknown, Chizengwe had two options at law.
He could either have gone through prosecution or retired without benefits.
The ZNA said Chizengwe chose to retire without benefits after he filed a High Court application insisting that he had rights to a pension.
In his opposing application, Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) commander General Philip Valerio Sibanda argued that Chizengwe did not deserve a pension. Sibanda submitted:
Sight must not be lost of the fact that this matter is borne out of Chizengwe’s acts of misconduct … More curiously, he does not deny that he was facing credible allegations of misconduct.
He does not deny that the recommendation that he be subjected to a General Court Martial trial was justified.
He has no problem with the fact that the proceedings were held in confidence, which thus protects his integrity through non-disclosure of the facts and allegations forming charges of misconduct he was facing.
Sibanda said Chizengwe was offered an extension of six months in employment if he wished to undergo a court-martial.
He said the former colonel declined the offer but Chizengwe told the High court that he was forced to retire.