By Staff Reporter
President Emmerson Mnangagwa Wednesday promoted Lieutenant General Emmanuel Matatu to the rank of General and appointed him Commander Zimbabwe Defence Forces with effect 21 November 2025.
Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Matatu’s Liberation War Credentials
In 2021, Lieutenant-General Matatu was promoted from Brigadier General to Major-General. He later moved from the Zimbabwe National Defence University to the Army headquarters, where he served as Chief of Staff Administration Staff until his recent appointment.
Matatu’s journey began when he left Thekwane High School in Plumtree in 1976 to join the liberation struggle. He underwent military training in Mwembeshi, Zambia, alongside approximately 1,200 other recruits, including notable figures like retired Major-General Stanford Khumalo, Major-General William Dube Bhuzhwa, and Brigadier-General Simo Maseko.
After completing basic training, Matatu was selected as one of 95 ZPRA cadres to attend an officer cadet course at the Zambian Military Academy in Kohima. These cadets were chosen for their frontline combat experience, and among them were commanders like Colonel (Retired) Waison Tshipa and former Southern Front commanders Carlos Mudzingwa and Irvine Khulekani Sibhona.
Additional cadets were selected from those who had completed their training but had not yet seen combat, including individuals like Lt-Col (Retired) Muleya, Major-General (Retired) Chancellor Diye, the late Brigadier-General Milton Siziba, and Dr. Peeps Gonde.
Matatu, who served as Brigadier-General for almost two decades, was promoted to Major-General in 2021. He is well-regarded for his hard work, discipline, and effective leadership as both a soldier and an administrator.
