Zimbabwe named a new army leader last Thursday. President Emmerson Mnangagwa bumped Major-General Emmanuel Matatu up to Lieutenant-General and gave him the top job running the entire Zimbabwe National Army. Matatu takes over after the previous boss, Anselem Sanyatwe, was moved to handle sports and arts for the country.
Matatu worked his way up through military ranks over many years. He started as a freedom fighter back in 1976 when he left high school in Plumtree. He trained at a camp called Mwembeshi in Zambia alongside 1,200 other young men who wanted to free Zimbabwe. The military picked him as one of just 95 special recruits for officer training at the Zambian Military Academy.
The military chose Matatu because he had already fought in battle and showed leadership skills. He trained with several other famous commanders, including retired officers like Waison Tshipa and front-line leaders Carlos Mudzingwa and Irvine Khulekani Sibhona. Some cadets came straight from basic training with zero combat time, but they still earned spots because they showed talent.
Matatu wore the rank of Brigadier-General for almost twenty years of his career. The military finally promoted him to Major-General just four years ago, in 2021. Before his latest promotion, he worked at Zimbabwe National Defence University until moving to Army headquarters as Chief of Staff Administration. Former President Robert Mugabe first promoted him from Colonel to Brigadier General back in 2001. Military leaders respect him for his hard work, strong discipline, and leadership of both soldiers and office staff.
Matatu worked his way up through military ranks over many years. He started as a freedom fighter back in 1976 when he left high school in Plumtree. He trained at a camp called Mwembeshi in Zambia alongside 1,200 other young men who wanted to free Zimbabwe. The military picked him as one of just 95 special recruits for officer training at the Zambian Military Academy.
The military chose Matatu because he had already fought in battle and showed leadership skills. He trained with several other famous commanders, including retired officers like Waison Tshipa and front-line leaders Carlos Mudzingwa and Irvine Khulekani Sibhona. Some cadets came straight from basic training with zero combat time, but they still earned spots because they showed talent.
Matatu wore the rank of Brigadier-General for almost twenty years of his career. The military finally promoted him to Major-General just four years ago, in 2021. Before his latest promotion, he worked at Zimbabwe National Defence University until moving to Army headquarters as Chief of Staff Administration. Former President Robert Mugabe first promoted him from Colonel to Brigadier General back in 2001. Military leaders respect him for his hard work, strong discipline, and leadership of both soldiers and office staff.
