Army chief lands Politburo post

Sunday Mail Reporter

PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA yesterday appointed Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander General Philip Valerio Sibanda into the ZANU PF Politburo as an ex-officio member.

Cde Rose Mpofu was also appointed Secretary for People with Disabilities in the Politburo, replacing the late national hero, Cde Joshua Teke Malinga, who passed away last month.

The President announced the new designations while giving his closing remarks at the 20th ZANU PF Annual National People’s Conference held at the Midlands Convention Centre in Gweru.

“During the course of the year, we lost one of our party stalwarts, Cde Joshua Teke Malinga, who was the Secretary for People with Disabilities,” he said. “To fill the vacancy, I am

appointing Cde Rose Mpofu of Matabeleland South province as a Politburo member and the new Secretary for People with Disabilities. Additionally, ‘Cde Gwenzi’, General Philip Valerio Sibanda, as an ex-officio member of the Politburo.”

General Sibanda has served as ZDF Commander since December 2017.

Before assuming leadership of the ZDF, he was Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army.

The decorated soldier, whose nom de guerre was Cde Ananias Gwenzi, trained and served as a ZIPRA combatant during the Second Chimurenga after leaving the country in 1973 to join the war.

He received military training in Morogoro, Tanzania.

In 1974, after completing his training in the East African country, he was sent to Lebanon, where he spent nine months of rigorous training under the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

On the other hand, Cde Mpofu is a veteran politician and the ruling party’s National Assembly representative for Matobo constituency (women’s quota).