Tapiwa Mandere

In another attempt to coup proof, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed his homeboy, 74-year-old Major General Emmanuel Matatu, as the new commander of the Zimbabwe National Army and promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant General. He replaces Vice President Chiwenga’s right-hand man, the now-retired Lieutenant-General Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe, who was demoted to the post of Sports Minister. Sanyatwe is 69 years old. Mnangagwa has literally removed former ZANLA commanders from the top two key military positions: the army and the commander of defence forces. General Matatu, who comes from the Midlands province, was in ZIPRA, working with Mnangagwa’s clansman, General P.V. Sibanda, who is the commander of Zimbabwe’s defence forces, and like Matatu and Mnangagwa, also from the Midlands. Th Airforce of Zimbabwe is led by Air Marshal John Jacob Nzvede from Masvingo. My sources also tell me that the current deputy director of the CIO, Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi, is going to Cuba as Zimbabwe’s ambassador, and the current ambassador in Cuba is coming back to take over as deputy director of the CIO—a straight switch. More importantly, you should understand why my reference to home areas and liberation movement affiliations is key. Vice President General Chiwenga is from ZANLA, as General Sanyatwe is, and they both participated in the Mgagao Declaration that removed Ndabaningi Sithole as leader of ZANU in 1975. This declaration was made by ZANLA commanders who were unhappy with Sithole’s leadership and his perceived failure to effectively lead the party in the liberation struggle against the Rhodesian government. The caretaker leader after Sithole’s removal, Herbert Chitepo, was killed in Zambia by the ZANLA army on tribal lines that pitted the Karanga againstthe Manyika according to former Zambian president, Dr Kenneth Kaunda. Robert Mugabe was brought in, and his acceptance was forced by the ZANLA military commanders, led by General Solomon Mujuru. Mugabe was also removed by the military. If Emmerson Mnangagwa rides the tide, he would be the first ZANU leader to withstand the pressure from ZANLA veterans and the military.