In the military, internationally, a presidential commission refers to the official document that appoints a person as a commissioned officer. It signifies the grant of authority and the legal right to command and lead troops.
A commission is issued by the head of state and is a formal authorization for the officer to serve in the Defence Force.
The commission is not just a piece of paper; it is a formal authorization for a citizen to serve as an officer in the Defence Force. It grants the officer the authority to command troops and exercise leadership responsibilities.
The commission symbolizes a lifelong commitment to duty, discipline, and service to the nation. Defence Act CAP 106 section 10 (1). Powers to grant a commission.
Maintenance of the Defence Force in Zambia is in the Defence Force Act cap 106, section 4 (1).
In general, “auxiliary force” refers to a group of people who provide support or reinforcement to a main or regular force, often in a military or paramilitary context. They may undertake tasks that the main force cannot or does not want to do, such as providing specialized skills, acting as security, or handling logistics.
Auxiliary forces are not the primary fighting force but rather provide essential support to the main body of troops. They can be involved in various tasks like scouting, handling supplies, policing rear areas, or even undertaking combat duties that the regular forces may not be suited for.
While some auxiliary forces may be composed of active semi military personnel, they are not necessarily the same as military reserves, which often have a defined structure and training regimen. The regular army and air force reserve is comprised of retired military officers and soldiers who are in reserve for 5 years after service.
Unlike the regular military, an auxiliary force does not necessarily have the same degree of training or ranking structure as regular officers and soldiers. It may or may not be integrated into a fighting force. The idea that an auxiliary force should train using the main regular force is a universal or logically mandated approach because it will be tailored to suit the needs of the regular force during warfare. While it can be a practical solution in some cases, the most effective training strategy depends on the specific context, roles, and capabilities of both forces. A more nuanced approach considers factors like the auxiliary force’s intended role, available resources, and the specific skills they need to develop. The tradition in Zambia has always been that the regular army provides training and command.
Deploying the auxiliary force to train its own man power and upgrade to the level equivalent to regimental level of the main force can be strain on military resources, potentially hinder training and operational readiness of the Army and Air force and also lose focus on building a strong army.
Auxiliary forces may require specialized training that the main force doesn’t provide. If the auxiliary force is intended for specific tasks, their training should focus on those areas. In Zambia, the auxiliary force should focus on agriculture and infrastructure development.
With this background, it is very misleading to say the the President’s son under want Voluntary Skills Training. It was full-time military training. At the end of the training, every member of intake 06 was granted a commission as officers in Zambia National Service.
I think the record should be set straight. The training should not be confused with Voluntary Skills Training, which is yet to commence. Commissioned officers do not volunteer. The school leavers programme under the UNIP government of Dr Kenneth Kunda is unique.
We urge those in authority not to dilute the military traditions and customs Zambia has upheld since 1964. A commission is sacred, and it is granted to noble men and women who have been prepared for responsibility in the Zambia Defence Force after meeting the prerequisites for service.
In Zambia, a Presidental Commission is supposed to be granted to Army and Air Force officers only who produce regular officers, since when did Zambia National Service become a regular force? Another question is: Does Zambia National Service have a training school and equipment that answers to international or national regular force training? Are national service schools equipped with training aids like the armoured corps, infantry, artillery, combat engineering, and Air Force studies. Any other type of commission becomes illegal and uncalled for. We urge those responsible for advising the Commander-in-Chief to do their homework properly and not mislead the President and the nation as a whole.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
What a bafoon! I am One of those who passed through the ZNS. I was One of those who fought battles against Ian Smith of southern Rhodesia under the 20 months compulsory military service. That’s where I learnt and made aware of all ranks in the military containment. And almost all military ranks and disciplines are there in
ZNS. And ZNS can’t be separated from any military undertakings! The problem with Membe is a buffoon politician, who is always preoccupied with evasion. Note that ECl closed his Post news paper because of statutory tax evasion. I am pretty sure he also evaded the compulsory military service training. And maybe he went AWO for good even before getting the overview of the the military set up. A jealous buffoon and full of hatred against HH, is now not sleeping just to hear that the son of the man he hates most has graduated as a military commissioned officer.
@ Lawyer Paul
Read Dr Fred Mmembe’s Article and get the key points he raises.
Try to avoid always seeking sanctuary in Hate against Hakainde Hichilema as the reason some people raise certain issues..
There are some grey areas which came from the various spokespersons of the government regarding the President ‘s son, which confused people.. Hamasaka and Kawana’s statements.
Key in Dr Mmembe ‘s article is that the seal of commission, for commissioned officers is not a Volunteer understaking, it’s life long..You don’t become a commissioned officer today, and go home tomorrow. As at now a Military Reservist is one who has served in the Military, and upon retirement can be called for duty within 5 years. That’s the law. Lt Habwela Hichilema can’t become a commissioned Officer and go home.. There’s no law for that.
You did ZNS Training during the UNIP days, ( though you lie, as it wasn’t 20 Months Military Training) but you were not a commissioned Officer.
Lt Habwela Hichilema is a commissioned Officer.
The other issue Dr Mmembe raises is that the Volunteer Skills Training program under ZNS hasn’t started yet. So the President’s son can’t do a program which hasn’t started yet.
Does raising these points amount to hatred against Hakainde Hichilema?
It all started with Hamasaka, who put Propaganda ahead of everything, that the President’s son , with all the confort at his disposal , was selfless , humble and decided to volunteer for Zambia National Service Training… Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba was quick and rebutted this, and correctly informed the nation that the Volunteer Skills Training hasn’t started yet, due to financial constraints. There’s no way the President ‘s son could have volunteered and completed a program which had no yet started.
“Squealer” Thabo Kawana was called in to set the record straight…and even him like all in this government, first it’s propaganda, then the message…He said the President ‘s son was enlisted in the ZNS on merit, and underwent Military Training, though under a fake name, so as not to get any prefrential treatment..”Squealer” Kawana wasn’t supposed to disclose that the President’s son used a fake name, but because this government is Propaganda, he did that thinking he will get propaganda benefits out of the disclosure, which however has backfired.
And later he said, the Volunteer Skills Training program hasn’t started yet, and likely to start in September,2025.
The commissioned officer Lt Habwela Hichilema is therefore not a Volunteer. What he did was Military Training and the seal of commission on him is lifelong…He is a full time Zambia National Service employee, a commissioned officer who should be reporting for duty daily. He is not a Volunteer or Some ZNS Reservist.
This is the situation he is in, and Dr Fred Mmembe has clearly explained what being a commissioned officer in Zambia entails.
Whether its ZNS or Military what is your problem.it really gives you sleepless nights you baboons.That boy has a right to choose his own path away from his father, be it Military or ZAF.He can decide his own destiny. At your age discussing a 21yr old boy not even ashame. Very petty and Idiots at the highest order.Let the boy be it’s his life,send your children also,let them apply. Hatred for HH is driving these idiots crazy.You get all worked up over a minor,let alone a young man. What kind of Idiots are you? Witches and Jealous can never win!
You see,the problem here is that Membe’s writings lack credibility because he is a well known HH hater.There will always be some personal negative energy emitted by Membe whenever he writes anything involving HH
In Zambia, there’s a very narrow distinction between all three arms of the defence forces.They have similar rank and reporting structures, they attend same senior staff training at at Kamwala College and MILTEZ in Kabwe.The soldiers do the same basic combat training even though at own training camps
The only difference is uniforms which define their Specialities thus Army is the senior most arms tasked with territorial defense,it is supported by Airforce arms to protect the air above them and ZNS tasked with equally important tasks of internal mobilization in case of total war.i.e in a state of total war ZNS will quickly mobilize and control and supply all national resources including manpower,food,transport and communications etc towards the warfront while returning crippled men and equipment back for repairs
In that sense,it doesn’t matter whether you volunteer,commissioned or not because the defence force in Zambia is integral.Needless to say that both Army and Airforce are now engaging in farming in peace time
Note that ZNS will be tasked to mobilize and train at short notice civilian manpower to supply the army at the battle front.We do not have enough reservists
Meembe, focus on paying post workers first then winning one sit in parliamentary elections and seat on it. Then we can talk. Not the rubbish you spew. You have killed many people with your stupid and selfish propaganda. You may not know but your pen killer post has left a lot of aggrieved people. That is why you will never become a president of Zambia. You will be president of mast and your wife and children. It ends there.
Hater
It’s simple if he had just gone back to the ZNS compulsory training, he wouldn’t have even thought of writing his stupid manipulating article. The issue is he thinks that he is the only one that lived during that time and forgot about Smith and the South African apartheid regime that was dropping bombs on Zambia.
The fact is that HE volunteered, enrolled and graduated successfully, not for the money, but for discipline, hard work and integrity. This is a hardware University candidate, scholar and determined fellow who wants to serve his country despite the luxury of riches he is likely to be heir of.
He is a Zambian with rights to choose the course of his life, despite his father’s desire to keep his children out of the limelight and government jobs.
Get this to your head properly.
He is not poor! He just wants to enjoy serving his country.
If his attitude was like that of some of his predecessors he would even have appointed his son bank governor or something like that.
Bane, HE is Zambian, let him serve his country.