The Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has promoted Brigadier General Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi to the rank of Major General.
Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, General Philip Valerio Sibanda, conferred the badges of rank on the newly promoted Major General Tapfumaneyi at ZDF Headquarters in Harare on Friday.
In his acceptance speech, Major General Tapfumaneyi thanked President Mnangagwa and pledged his commitment to supporting the President’s vision and the Commander’s strategic plans in defending the nation and ensuring its continued security.
Media reports last week indicated that Major General Tapfumaneyi has been appointed Chief of Staff of the Zimbabwe National Army.
ZimLive reported a source familiar with the developments as saying Tapfumaneyi, a retired brigadier general, who left the CIO in March, had been “parked at his farm in Banket”.
President Mnangagwa is said to be grooming Major General Tapfumaneyi for the position of army commander, with expectations that he could succeed Lieutenant General Emmanuel Matatu before 2027.
Tapfumaneyi has been a controversial figure. Opposition parties and human rights groups accuse him of coordinating efforts to intimidate voters during the August 2023 elections, allegedly working with the ruling party-aligned Forever Association of Zimbabwe (FAZ).
The United States placed Tapfumaneyi under sanctions for “leading the campaign to disrupt the 2023 electoral process through his leadership of ruling party-affiliated groups.”
In March 2024, the US Department of the Treasury said Tapfumaneyi: “is also alleged to have been personally involved in past kidnappings.”
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