Africa-Press – Zambia. A storm is brewing inside Zimbabwe’s military as former Zanla commanders and senior ZDF officers quietly fume over President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s shock decision to appoint ex-Zipra commander General Emmanuel Matatu as the new head of the army.
Matatu’s elevation confirmed at a high-profile ceremony at State House on Monday comes barely days after General Philip Valerio Sibanda, also Zipra-trained, retired on 21 November.
Military insiders told The NewsHawks that powerful Zanu PF figures wanted the top post rotated back to a former Zanla commander, arguing that the unified ZDF structure, in place since 1992, requires balance and equity.
But Mnangagwa allegedly pushed Matatu through for ethnic, regional, and political reasons, seeking to curb Constantino Chiwenga’s lingering influence and stack the army with his loyalists.
The appointment has ignited fresh tensions, factional warfare, and succession battles, with insiders warning that Mnangagwa is tightening his grip on the military to block Chiwenga’s presidential ambitions.-BoldTruth
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