By A Correspondent-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has redeployed and promoted Brigadier General Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi—the man who led the controversial Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ)—to the rank of Major General and formally returned him to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF).
FAZ, widely regarded as a shadowy, Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO)-run militia group, played a central role in securing Mnangagwa’s disputed re-election in the 2023 general elections.
Under the command of Tapfumaneyi, a veteran CIO operative and former Deputy Director General of the spy agency, FAZ was deployed extensively in rural communities, where it operated parallel to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Its agents reportedly set up command centres, collected voter information, and engaged in systematic voter intimidation.
Both local and international election observers—including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the European Union (EU)—raised alarm over FAZ’s operations.
The group was accused of undermining the secrecy of the vote by positioning its operatives near polling stations to monitor and pressure voters, particularly in rural constituencies viewed as ZANU PF strongholds.
Tapfumaneyi’s promotion and reabsorption into the army further highlight the blurred lines between Zimbabwe’s military, intelligence services, and the ruling ZANU PF party.
Since independence in 1980, ZANU PF has routinely relied on the security apparatus—particularly the military and CIO—to entrench its power.
The pattern became especially pronounced in the 2008 elections, when the military-led Joint Operations Command (JOC) orchestrated a brutal campaign of violence and intimidation following ZANU PF’s first-round defeat to the opposition MDC.
In 2017, the military played a decisive role in ousting long-time ruler Robert Mugabe and installing Mnangagwa as his successor.
The 2018 and 2023 elections have since entrenched the military’s influence in electoral processes, often at the expense of democratic credibility.
At a ceremony held at the ZDF Headquarters in Harare on Friday, Commander of the Defence Forces General Philip Valerio Sibanda conferred the new rank on Tapfumaneyi and welcomed him back into the military establishment.
“Congratulations to you, Major General Tapfumaneyi, and welcome back to the ZDF. We are looking forward to working with you,” said General Sibanda.
In his acceptance speech, Major General Tapfumaneyi expressed gratitude to President Mnangagwa for the promotion, and pledged loyalty to the ZDF command and the President’s national security agenda.
“I am determined and committed to supporting the President’s vision and the Commander’s plan in defence of this country and making sure the country remains secure. I want to thank His Excellency for promoting me,” Tapfumaneyi said.
Tapfumaneyi has previously held several senior government positions, including Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs and Deputy Director General of the CIO.
His reappointment to the military hierarchy signals the continued consolidation of power by Mnangagwa through loyalists embedded across Zimbabwe’s security structures.
-ZBC