President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), has promoted Major General Emmanuel Matatu to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed him as the new Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA).
This announcement was made by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Martin Rushwaya, in a statement issued on Thursday, 27 March 2025. Said Rushwaya:
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His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, acting in terms of section 216(2) as read with section 89 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and sections 11(1)(a) and 11(4) of the Defence Act (Chapter 11:02), has appointed Major General Emmanuel Matatu to the rank of Lieutenant General and Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army with immediate effect.
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Lieutenant General Matatu replaces Lieutenant General (Rtd) Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe, who was sworn in as the new Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts, and Culture earlier on Thursday.
On Tuesday, 25 March, President Mnangagwa retired Sanyatwe from the military and named him the new Minister of Sport, taking over from Kirsty Coventry, who recently became president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Matatu, who was previously the ZNA Chief of Staff (Administration), has climbed the ranks in the military. In 2021, he was promoted from Brigadier-General to Major-General when Lieutenant General David Sigauke became the ZNA commander.
His appointment is part of a series of leadership changes within the army. Sigauke took over from the late Lieutenant General Edzai Chimonyo, who passed away in July 2021.
Chimonyo had succeeded General Philip Valerio Sibanda in 2017, when Sibanda was appointed commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF).
Sibanda replaced retired General Constantino Chiwenga, who is now the Vice-President of Zimbabwe.
Matatu is a former ZPRA veteran. He attended Thekwane High School in Plumtree and trained at the Zambian Military Academy, Kohima, during the liberation struggle.

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President Mnangagwa promoted Major General Matatu to Lieutenant General and made him the new Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army. Matatu replaces Sanyatwe, who became the Minister of Sport. Matatu used to be the ZNA Chief of Staff before his promotion. There have been other leadership changes in the army before Matatu's appointment. Matatu is a former ZPRA veteran and trained at the Zambian Military Academy during the liberation struggle.

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