HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government is allegedly purging senior members of the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation who are deemed as rogue and loyal to the previous government of President Robert Mugabe.
A CIO official based in Kwekwe who spoke to us on condition of anonymity said there is an operation that is ongoing to “clean the Intelligence service.”
“What I can tell you mkoma is that we hear the instruction that has come from the Office of Number 1 is that the Intelligence Service needs reform and part of the reform is to purge officer, low and high ranking, who were deemed loyal to the previous administration.” The source said.
“As I am talking to you now there are some Provincial Intelligence Officers who are about to be, if not already, put on suspension for various charges. The operation that is being carried out will see a number of changes and new faces coming in. You know already that Number 1 has his trusted loyalists being in charge of the Intelligence in the form of Minister Mudha and DG Isaac Moyo. So everything is being implemented from these offices.”
During the height of bloody November 2017 coup, Harare District Intelligence Boss Peter Munetsi was tortured and killed by the military while other CIO officials were disarmed and tortured.
There has never been a revelation of the number of CIO officials unaccounted for after the coup.
Recently, Mnangagwa retired and reassigned Senior military officials in a move that was interpreted as a step towards pacifying the officials loyal to Vice President Constantino Chiwnega.
Isaac Moyo is currently the head of the CIO and is referred to as a director general. He is deputised by Aaron Nhepera.
The intelligence organisation consists of eight key branches which include internal, external, counter-intelligence, military intelligence, close security, technical and administration.
The other directors who come immediately after Nhepera head these other branches. Immediately under the directors are deputy directors, assistant directors, provincial intelligence officers, divisional intelligence officers, senior intelligence officers, assistant senior intelligence officers, intelligence officers, senior security officers, security officers, senior security assistants and security assistants. – Source: Bulawayo 24
