Zimbabwe receives new Chinese armour

WZ551 armoured vehicles lined up behind a WMA301 self-propelled gun at a range in Inkomo. (Office of the President and Cabinet (Zimbabwe))

Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa attended an event on 13 December to receive a consignment of Chinese military equipment that included new armoured vehicles.

“This is a result of the unapparelled strategic partnership that exists between Zimbabwe and China,” Mnangagwa posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account. “I express gratitude to China for their generosity and our ongoing relationship.”

The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) described the consignment as a donation that took place at the mechanised brigade base in Inkomo, northwest of Harare.

It released photographs showing at least eight Norinco WMA301 6×6 self-propelled guns, numerous WZ551 6×6 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) in at least three configurations, and trucks.

Some of the WZ551s had the one-person turret with a 30 mm cannon, which is widely used in Africa, while others had an older type of turret with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun.

The OPC said the equipment also included ambulances, water purifiers, patrol boats, minibuses, sniper rifles, machine guns, and pistols.