Zim military among Africa’s weakest – report shows; also bottom end of global rankings

Own Correspondent

ZIMBABWE’S military is feared locally and considered the real reason behind the ruling Zanu PF party’s stranglehold on power since independence in 1980.

However, the latest military strength rankings by a leading global defence review shows that Zimbabwe’s defence forces (ZDF) are not among the best in Africa.

According to the 2025 Military Strength Ranking by the Global Firepower Index, Zimbabwe fails to make the top 20 in Africa and ranks well outside one hundred globally.

“The finalized Global Firepower ranking below utilizes over 60 individual factors to determine a given nation’s PowerIndex (‘PwrIndx’) score with categories ranging from quantity of military units and financial standing to logistical capabilities and geography,” reads the report.

Out of the 145 countries considered for the 2025 report, Zimbabwe is ranked 111^th, behind neighbours Zambia (109), Mozambique (89), and South Africa (40).

In Africa, Zimbabwe was ranked 21st, with Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia making up the top five.

In terms of the global ranking, the United States of America (USA) has the strongest military followed by Russia and China in second and third place respectively while India and Soutk Korea come in at fourth and fifth place.

Despite its lowly ranking in the world and mid-level standing in Africa, the Zimbabwean military is feared locally and seen as the power behind the ruling Zanu PF party’s retention of power since independence.

Critics accuse the military of coercing citizens to support Zanu PF and brutally crushing any expressions of dissent such protests.

The most overt military interventions into politics include the 2008 elections when then President Robert Mugabe lost the election to Morgan Tsvangirai of the opposition MDC.

A deadly crackdown involving the military and war veterans resulted in Tsvangirai quitting the run-off vote leading to the establishment coalition government mediated by neighbouring countries.

“The onslaught by the security forces in Zimbabwe has seen people killed, arbitrarily arrested, abducted, reportedly raped and jailed on suspicion of taking part in the protests. Children as young as 11 years old have also been charged,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for Southern Africa in a press statement issued in 2019.

Explaining the military involvement in politics in a 2012 Herald newspaper reproter, then Chief of Staff General Staff, Major General Martin Chedondo, said, “As soldiers, we will never be apologetic for supporting Zanu PF because it is the only political party that has national interests at heart.

“As soldiers, we will never be apologetic for supporting Zanu PF because it is the only political party that has national interests at heart. As soldiers, we will never be apologetic for supporting Zanu PF because it is the only political party that has national interests at heart.

Meanwhile at the height of Zanu PF’s bitter internal fight over President Mugabe’s succession, the military intervened through a bloodless coup in 2017 that saw Emmerson Mnangagwa installed as new party and State president.

Dr Washington Mazorodze, a lecturer at the Department of Peace, Security and Society at the University of Zimbabwe, perceives the military as a threat to democracy due to the oversized role it plays in almost every sphere of life.

“If you ask me whether or not we are a militarised state, I will tell you, ‘Yes. We are a militarised state,’ ” Dr Mazorodze told FairPlanet in 2023.

“The military decides who gets into power in Zimbabwe,” he continued.

“There is no dividing line between a political party and the military. A military is supposed to act professionally and serve any leader who comes to power.

“In Zimbabwe, we have a military which protects the interests of a certain political party, serving members of the military are also active members of a certain political party.”

He added, “Any political solution in Zimbabwe should involve the military, because it determines who gets into power and who doesn’t.

“The military in Zimbabwe even dominates the economic sphere [through business ventures it runs in collaboration with Chinese entities]. It shows the extent to which the military has an influence in Zimbabwe’s institutions.”