President Emmerson Mnangagwa has extended by a year Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) commander Phillip Valerio Sibanda’s term of office, which expired last month.
According to a Government Gazette January 3 this year, the extension of Siband’s term of office was effective from December 24, 2024 to November 23, 2025.
The army boss, who succeeded Vice President Contantino Chiwenga after the coup that toppled the late Robert Mugabe in 2017, turned 70 last year, which meant he had reached retirement age.
Mnangagwa last week retired police commissioner general Godwin Matanga and replaced him with Stephen Mutamba.
He also removed Central Intelligence Organisation director general Isaac Moyo and replaced him with former Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority director general Fulton Mangwanya.
The shake-up in the security sector has been linked to the ongoing push by Mnangagwa’s loyalists for his term in office to be extended beyond 2028.
