Elson Moyo
| Air Marshal Elson Moyo | |
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Elson Moyo is a Zimbabwean military general and the commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ). Moyo was promoted to the rank of Air Marshal on 18 December 2017 when he replaced retired Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri as commander of the AFZ. Air Marshal Moyo was one of the first black pilots, together with Air Vice Marshal Shebba Shumbayaonda, to receive training in foreign countries and is regarded as one of the founding Airforce of Zimbabwe fighter pilots. [1]
Personal Details
Elson Moyo comes from Mberengwa. [1]
School / Education
He left (the phrase "were taken" is used) Manama Secondary School at Form Three to join the Second Chimurenga via Botswana, with his cousin, SB Moyo. He joined ZIPRA.
<ref=The Herald> [2], Meet Sibusiso B. Moyo…The man who read Mugabe the riot act, Published: 21 April 2018, Retreived 27 August 2019 </ref>
Service/Career
Edson Moyo joined the Air Force of Zimbabwe in 1980 as an Air-Sub Lieutenant and rose through the ranks, after advancing his education. He was one of the first black Africans who received training outside the country, as the precursor to the AFZ, the Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) wanted to block the Africanisation of the Airforce. [1] In 1980 he attended a Pilot Training course in Russia and underwent a Flying Instructors course in Pakistan in 1983. He also received training from Zimbabwe in 1985 and China in 1992.
Moyo is an accomplished pilot, who in 2011, had 1970 hours flying time in the following aircraft:
- Hunter
- SF260M
- SF260TP
- Hawk
- MIG 15
- L29
- MF1-17
- T-37
In that same year, he went back to the cockpit, in order to fly a fighter jet during a flypast in commemoration of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Day, despite the fact that he was now an Air Vice Marshal, a two-star general. Moyo was with his fellow Air Vice Marshal and founding pilot, Shebba Shumbayaonda, in the fly past.
Ranks Attained
- Air Vice Marshal 2003
- Air Marshal 2017
Appointments
- Officer Commanding Number 1 Squadron
- Officer CommandingNumber 6 Squadron,
- Officer Commanding Thornhill Airbase flying wing
- Base Commander Thornhill Airforce Base
- AFZ Chief of Staff (Operations)
- Commander Air Force of Zimbabwe
Appointment as Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe
Moyo replaced Perrance Shiri as the Air Force of Zimbabwe boss on 18 December 2017 after Shiri had been appointed as the Minister of Lands Agriculture and Rural Resettlement by President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Moyo took over from Shumbayaonda who had been appointed as acting Commander at the unveiling of the name change of King George VI (KG VI)Barracks to Josiah Magama Tongogara Barracks.[2]
