Tandabantu Godwin Matanga (born 5 February 1962) is a

Zimbabwean Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Moza ...

police officer who serves as the current commissioner-general of the

Zimbabwe Republic Police The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is the national police force of Zimbabwe, having succeeded the British South Africa Police on 1 August 1980. History The predecessor of the Zimbabwe Republic Police was the British South Africa Police of Rhod ...

since 19 December 2017. He took office after the removal of Augustine Chihuri following the November 2017 coup d'état, and was officially appointed as commissioner-general on 12 February 2018 by President

Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa (, US: (); born 15 September 1942) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as President of Zimbabwe since 24 November 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former President Robert Mugabe, he held a se ...

. He joined the police in 1982 and previously had been deputy commissioner-general since 1992. A veteran of Zimbabwe's

war of independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List o ...

, Matanga is closely aligned with

ZANU–PF The Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) is a political organisation which has been the ruling party of Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. The party was led for many years under Robert Mugabe, first as prime ministe ...

and has been involved in internal party politics and anti-opposition political violence. He has been subject to American and British sanctions since 2005 and 2021, respectively.

Police career

Matanga was born on 5 February 1962 in Chipinge,

Manicaland Province Manicaland is a province in eastern Zimbabwe. After Harare Province, it is the country's second-most populous province, with a population of 2.037 million, as of the 2022 census. After Harare and Bulawayo provinces, it is Zimbabwe's third-most de ...

, in what was then

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kno ...

. In 1978, the 16-year-old Matanga joined the

liberation struggle The Liberation Struggle in Kerala (1958–59) was a period of anticommunist protest against the first elected state government in Kerala, India, which was led by E. M. S. Namboodiripad of the Communist Party of India. Organised opposition to ...

, crossing the border into

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

to join the

Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), a militant African nationalist organisation that participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhode ...

. In 1979, he was deployed to

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

for training. After the war, Matanga joined the

as a patrol officer in October 1982. He subsequently rose through the ranks and was appointed deputy commissioner-general in 1992. By the mid-2000s, Matanga became a member of the Joint Operations Command, Zimbabwe's top state security coordinating body. On 22 November 2005, Matanga was placed under

United States Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

sanctions, along with 127 other Zimbabweans accused of "hindering the democratic transition of Zimbabwe," by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

, who described the

2005 Zimbabwean parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Zimbabwe on 31 March 2005 to elect members to the Zimbabwe House of Assembly. All of the 120 elected seats in the 150-seat House of Assembly were up for election. (In addition, there were 20 members appointed ...

as "not free or fair." In 2011, it was reported that Matanga was vying against Innocent Matibiri, a nephew of President

Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...

, for the position of commissioner-general amid rumors that Augustine Chihuri's term would not be renewed. Matanga is closely aligned with the ruling party,

, and has been involved in internal party politics and anti-opposition political violence. In 2012, he was present at a meeting of the ZANU–PF provincial coordinating committee for Manicaland ahead of the

2013 elections The following elections were occurred in the year 2013. Asia * 2013 Armenian local elections 26 May, 17 November, and 8 December 2013 * 2013 Armenian presidential election 18 February 2013 * 2013 Bangladeshi presidential election 22 April 2013 ...

, along with other top army and police officials. On 19 December 2017, Matanga was appointed acting commissioner-general of the Zimbabwe Republic Police. He replaced Augustine Chihuri, an ally of President

, who was forced to retire after the president was ousted in the November 2017 coup d'état. According to Chihuri, Matanga helped set the coup in motion when he told the country's military commander,

Constantino Chiwenga Constantino Chiwenga (born Constantine Guveya Dominic Nyikadzino Chiwenga) (born 25 August 1956), is a Zimbabwean politician and former army general currently serving, since 2017, as the First Vice-President of Zimbabwe under President Emmerso ...

, that Chihuri was planning to arrest him. On 12 February 2018, Matanga was officially appointed commissioner-general by President

. Matanga was involved in efforts to seize former commissioner-general Chihuri's assets, alleged obtained via corrupt means during his term as commissioner-general. Chihuri accused Matanga of sending police to set his home on fire and harass his family, and of being unqualified for the post of police chief. On 1 February 2021, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

imposed sanctions on Matanga, along with state security minister Owen Ncube,

Central Intelligence Organisation The Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) is the national intelligence agency of Zimbabwe. It was conceived as the external intelligence-gathering arm of the British South Africa Police Special Branch in the early 1960s, under the Southern Rh ...

director

Isaac Moyo Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...

, and

Presidential Guard Presidential Guard may refer to: *President Guard Regiment (Bangladesh) *Presidential Guard Regiment (Turkey) *Presidential Guard (Greece) *Presidential Guard (Belarus) *Presidential Guard (South Vietnam) *President's Own Guard Regiment (Ghana) * ...

commander Anselem Sanyatwe. The sanctions bar Matanga and the others from traveling to the UK or accessing the country's banks, and were the first sanctions put in place by Britain unilaterally since its departure from the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

. The British Foreign Office said Matanga "bears responsibility for serious human rights violations committed by the police and military during the crackdown on post-

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

protests in August 2018, which resulted in six civilian deaths." In November 2021 and March 2022, Matanga was ordered to pay compensation to three victims of police brutality.

Personal life

Matanga is married to Chamapiwa Matanga. He has at least two sons, who are involved in the

Youth League.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matanga, Godwin Living people 1962 births 20th-century Zimbabwean people 21st-century Zimbabwean people Chiefs of police People from Manicaland Province ZANU–PF politicians Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army personnel Zimbabwean individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions Zimbabwean individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions Zimbabwean police officers