Presidential Guard (Zimbabwe)
The Presidential Guard (PG) of the Zimbabwe National Army is an elite unit responsible for protecting the President of Zimbabwe. It is one of eight brigade-sized formations and two district commands in the ZNA. The members of the unit, some of which are from neighboring states such as Angola, provide presidential protection and also perform ceremonial duties in the national capital. History. The Presidential Guard was created by Robert Mugabe in November 1983 following two attempts on his life during the election campaign. In early 2014, ZNA ordered the PG to look for alternative accommodation from  Dzivarasekwa in an attempt to reduce the number of army personnel at its barracks and the costs of maintaining its facilities. Colour Sergeant Stanley Mugunzva of the PG, who was assigned to Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, was one of two killed in the 2018 Bulawayo bombing, which was an attempt on President Emmerson Mnangagwa's life. Members of PG escorted the coffin of former President Mugabe upon its arrival in Harare International Airport following his death in Singapore in the latter half of the summer of 2019. 2017 Coup. During the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état, President Mugabe ordered tanks to  surround the Presidential Guard barracks across the capital. As a result, Major General Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe secretly renounced his allegiance to Mugabe and replaced loyal troops with substitutes handpicked by Sanyatwe. Unaware of this shift, Mugabe left his headquarters "en route" to his residence, during which his convoy was attacked by two army trucks carrying fifteen armed members of the PG, with their faces concealed by black masks. Those same soldiers disarmed the Central Intelligence Organisation agents with Mugabe at the time and put him under arrest. Sanyatwe retired in February 2019 and was appointed as the ambassador to Tanzania . Structure. The brigade is organized into the following units located in Harare: The brigade headquarters is based currently at Dzivarasekwa Barracks in Harare and is led by Brigadier General Fidelis Mhonda. Duties. In its current role, it serves as a Household Division-like service for the President of Zimbabwe. It is primarily responsible for guarding the area around State House, which is the presidential residence. It also mounts the guard of honour on behalf of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces during events of state. Events where the guard of honour provided by the PG includes Defence Forces Day festivities, Heroes Day ', the Independence Day Parade, and the Opening of Parliament. More recently, it mounted the guard of honour during the Inauguration of Emmerson Mnangagwa. Some of the state arrival ceremonies during state visits the PG has provided guards of honour for have included those for Chinese President Xi Jinping and Tanzanian President John Magufuli. Characteristics. Uniform. The unit wear their yellow berets to tell them apart from the rest of the Zimbabwean military. The mounted element of the unit parades in Pith helmet as headgear. Flag. The flag of the Presidential Guard of Zimbabwe consists of a beige background, with three  equal horizontal stripes of red, green and red, and the centre having a shield which contains a white wreath beneath a bird, over which are two brown rifles in saltire.