THREE deputy police commissioner-generals — Innocent
Matibiri, Josephine Shambare and Levi Sibanda — together with two commissioners
were on Friday reportedly retired from the force amid indications that the
organisation will be instituting a raft of further changes over the next few
months.
The removal of Matibiri, a nephew of former President
Robert Mugabe, Shambare and Sibanda leaves Stephen Mutamba as the only deputy
to Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga.
Their retirement, according to sources, delayed the start
of a graduation ceremony at Zimbabwe Republic Police Staff College last week as
Matanga had to engage with his outgoing deputies.
The purge is reportedly targeted at police officers who
have reached the age of 50 or have served the force for over 20 years.
“The commissioner-general had to engage with those who were
being relieved of their duties and, also, the speeches which had been prepared
before the writing of letters were supposed to be changed, as they were no
longer part of the programme since they had been retired,” a senior police
officer privy to the goings-on in the force said.
“Their retirement letters were with effect from October 31
and it meant that whatever they were going to do afterwards was outside their
mandate.”
Since the departure of Mugabe in November last year, the
police force and the Central Intelligence Organisation have retired senior
officers.
Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi
referred all questions relating to the dismissals of his bosses to Senior
Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba, whose mobile phone went unanswered.
“Talk to Madam Charamba on that issue,” Nyathi said. Home
Affairs minister Cain Mathema refused to comment on the matter. Newsday
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