By Crime and Corts Reporter-President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reportedly forced the retirement and reshuffled several high-ranking officials within the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).
Among those affected is the head of the ZRP’s paramilitary branch, the Support Unit, which has played a significant role in maintaining public order during political unrest.
According to sources within the ZRP, who spoke to ZimEye on anonymity, the commanding officer of the Support Unit has been retired under what appears to be forced circumstances. His two deputies have been reassigned to the ZRP headquarters in Harare. The sources suggested that these changes could be linked to ongoing power struggles within Zanu PF, where police operations may have clashed with the interests of politicians aligned with President Mnangagwa’s faction.
Efforts by ZimEye to verify the names and ranks of the affected commanders failed as the ZRP Spokesperson Paul Nyathi’s phone could not be reached.
However, such reshuffles within the ZRP are not uncommon, particularly during periods of political tension within the ruling party.
The ZRP Support Unit, also known as the “Black Boots,” has long been a critical arm of law enforcement, tasked with maintaining public order, especially during politically sensitive times.
Headquartered in Chikurubi, Harare, the Unit operates across four districts: Chikurubi Urban, Chikurubi Rural, Fairbridge (Bulawayo), Buchwa (Zvishavane), and Changadzi.
The Support Unit’s responsibilities include crowd control, managing major disasters and hostage situations, guarding key installations and VIPs, border patrol, anti-stock theft operations, and even underwater search and rescue missions.
Under the late President Robert Mugabe, the wing became increasingly militarised and was often deployed during protests, elections, and other politically charged events.
In Mugabe’s final years, the Unit was effectively transformed into a de facto military wing of the ruling Zanu PF party, with more power in suppressing opposition protests than the regular Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA).
The infamous “Black Boots” were regularly used to crush demonstrations and intimidate opposition supporters, especially during the election periods when tensions ran high.
Mugabe also frequently used the police as a tool of repression.
The Support Unit, in particular, became notorious for its brutal crackdowns on opposition supporters, student activists, and civil society groups.
Protests against government corruption, economic mismanagement, and election rigging were often met with heavy-handed tactics, including beatings, arbitrary arrests, and in some cases, torture.
The police were a central pillar in Mugabe’s strategy to maintain power, especially in the face of mounting opposition from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and other dissenting voices.
When Mnangagwa seized power from Mugabe in a military coup in November 2017, he initially sidelined the police, whose loyalty had been firmly with Mugabe.
Following the controversial 2018 presidential election, which saw delays in announcing results, protests erupted in Harare, with opposition supporters accusing Mnangagwa of election rigging.
In response, Mnangagwa deployed the military to quell the demonstrations. Soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians, killing at least six people in a tragic escalation of violence.
This incident marked a significant moment in Zimbabwe’s political history, as the military had not been used so overtly to suppress civilian protests since the Gukurahundi massacres of the 1980s.
The recent reshuffle of the top brass within the Support Unit may signal Mnangagwa’s recognition of the political fallout from that decision.
By reorganising the leadership of the ZRP’s paramilitary wing, Mnangagwa could be attempting to restore the balance of power between the police and the military, ensuring that future protests are handled by the police rather than the army—a possible reflection of lessons learned from the deadly 2018 crackdown.