Zimbabwe’s worsening economic situation, coupled with a severe food crisis, hyperinflation and cash shortages paint the correct picture and the state of affairs in the barracks which Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri laid out in Parliament, is a microcosm of the larger situation in the country.

Given the situation on the ground, morale is very low in the barracks as much as it is low in hospitals, schools and all over and we can never be safe as a nation if the men and women in uniform charged with keeping us secure are hungry.

Put simply, we are a hungry nation and given an option, the men and women in uniform would do what the nurses are doing now: down tools to register their displeasure, but they cannot.

Muchinguri correctly represented her constituency and in doing so, confirmed that no one was taking care of the important men and women at the centre of protecting our territorial integrity, risking their lives in doing that.

If the soldiers are hungry and in a state of poverty, who then will defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national interests of the country?