The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) has distanced itself from Retired Group Captain Boncase Mwakorera, following reports that he was arrested at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) while protesting over salaries and working conditions.

Initial reports claimed that Mwakorera, along with Professor Obvious Vengeyi (Religious Studies) and Dr Desmond Ndedzu (Economics), was taken into custody after staging a protest on campus. The reports described Mwakorera as a serving member of the Air Force of Zimbabwe and chair of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at the Zimbabwe National University.

But the military has now stepped in to clarify. In a statement, the ZDF said Mwakorera is no longer in active service, having retired from the Air Force in May 2021.

“The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) has noted with concern the stories, published online and circulated on various social media platforms, that inaccurately report that Group Captain (Retired) Boncase Mwakorera is serving in the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ). The Officer served in the AFZ and retired on 31 May 2021 in the rank of Group Captain,” part of the statement reads.

The ZDF expressed concern over the way Mwakorera was described in the media, warning that such misrepresentation could mislead the public.

“In such instances, it is prudent to accurately capture that he is a retired Group Captain. Failure to correctly capture such details has the potential to mislead the public that the actions by the individual are associated with the ZDF,” the statement further reads.

“In the particular case on the arrest of Group Captain (Retired) Mwakorera at the University of Zimbabwe, it should be categorically known that the ZDF is not associated with his actions. The ZDF is a disciplined force dedicated to protecting Zimbabwe, its people, its national security and interests and territorial integrity, as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” the statement concluded.