More than 3 000 teaching posts to be filled Zimbabwe-wide this year

Row over Zimbabwe's new Army Commander
Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) commander Lieutenant-General Walter Tapfumaneyi has emerged largely unscathed from intense internal scrutiny and lingering doubts among senior officers who questioned the circumstances surrounding his rapid rise to the apex of the country's military hierarchy.

Tapfumaneyi's ascent attracted attention within defence circles after he was fast-tracked through two successive promotions in quick succession and eventually elevated to command the ZNA, leapfrogging officers who were widely regarded as his seniors in both rank experience and combat background. The unease was compounded by the fact that Tapfumaneyi rose from the army's ancillary services — a pathway that traditionally limits how far an officer can advance within the command structure.

Ancillary military services provide critical support to regular forces, covering areas such as medical services, logistics, communications and administration. While essential to military operations, these units are generally regarded as non-combat arms, with their personnel historically less likely to be appointed to top command positions that oversee frontline forces.

Tapfumaneyi's roots lie in the ZNA's medical support services unit, an unusual springboard to the highest operational post in the army. His elevation therefore prompted questions within the officer corps about doctrine, precedent and the criteria guiding promotions at the highest level of the defence forces.

Despite the initial scepticism, Tapfumaneyi has managed to weather the internal storm, with sources indicating that his broader career trajectory and political trustworthiness ultimately worked in his favour. His military career has not followed a conventional path. After serving in the army, Tapfumaneyi left active service and later returned following a period in retirement, during which he held senior roles in government ministries and within the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).

This blend of military, intelligence and civil service experience is understood to have played a decisive role in his eventual appointment. Security analysts say his exposure to both operational and strategic spheres of the state apparatus distinguished him from career combat officers whose experience, while extensive on the battlefield, may have been narrower in scope.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa's decision to appoint Tapfumaneyi is widely seen as a calculated move to place a trusted and politically reliable figure at the helm of the army, particularly at a time when the military remains a central pillar of the country's power structure. Insiders suggest Mnangagwa valued Tapfumaneyi's institutional memory, loyalty and understanding of the intersection between security, intelligence and governance.

While questions persist in some quarters over the speed and manner of his rise, Tapfumaneyi's survival of internal scrutiny appears to have consolidated his position. His appointment underscores a broader shift in Zimbabwe's military leadership dynamics, where strategic trust and political alignment are increasingly viewed as just as critical as traditional command-line progression.

As Tapfumaneyi settles into his role, attention will remain on how he balances professional military command with the expectations of a political leadership that has entrusted him with one of the most sensitive levers of state power.