Police boss Mutamba walks into office with load of rights abuses 

Brenna Matendere

Harare—Stephen Mutamba (63) on New Year took office as the new commissioner general of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), bringing with him the baggage of international restrictions imposed on him since late 2022.

With more than three decades of service in the ZRP, Mutamba has held senior positions when the law enforcer systematically suppressed human rights under successive leaderships.

These include torture, mysterious disappearances of government and ruling Zanu PF critics, massive corruption and arbitrary arrests.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa replaced Godwin Matanga with Mutamba on 20 December through a statement in terms of Section 221(1) of the Zimbabwean constitution.

Matanga had been elevated to the position in late 2017 to replace the long-serving Augustine Chihuri following a military-assisted power takeover from the late Robert Mugabe.

Chihuri is living in self-imposed exile in Malawi.

In 2022, Mutamba was placed on US sanctions in his capacity as the deputy commissioner general responsible for administration.

Then, his office oversaw the granting or refusal of permission to hold political meetings.

During that time, the US Treasury department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Mutamba, making him the only new entrant on the list of targeted persons.

The other three deputy commissioner generals escaped the sanctions.

The ZRP has four deputy commissioner generals responsible for administration, operations, human resources and crime.

When he was designated, eleven other people were removed from the Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN List) under the Zimbabwe sanctions programme.

The OFAC labelled Mutamba a persona non grata in the USA, saying he was undermining Zimbabwe’s democratic processes and institutions.

“The Zimbabwe sanctions programme targets human rights abusers and those who undermine democratic processes or facilitate corruption.

“OFAC also designated Stephen Mutamba, the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s Deputy Commissioner for Administration, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13469 for his role in undermining Zimbabwe’s democratic processes and institutions,” read the order.

“Over the past two years, Mutamba has taken actions that threaten and undermine legitimate political parties who oppose the policies of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu PF).

“In 2020, Mutamba supported Zimbabwe security services’ use of pressure and intimidation on prominent opposition figures. Also in 2020, Mutamba supported the uneven enforcement of a COVID-related curfew, encouraging security forces to limit opposition activities and did not allow for foreign national officials located in Zimbabwe to meet with Zimbabwean opposition parties or civil society groups.

“In 2021, Mutamba advocated that vote tallies not be displayed outside polling locations and that international observers should not be allowed to monitor the 2023 elections,” noted OFAC.

As a result of his designation, Mutamba’s assets and wealth located in the US, or in the possession or control of US persons, were blocked.

Any entities that were directly or indirectly owned by Mutamba were also blocked.

In 2024, OFAC again designated 11 individuals, including Mutamba and President Emmerson Mnangagwa, as well as three entities for their involvement in corruption or serious human rights abuses under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

“Under his (Mutamba’s) leadership as (deputy commissioner general), ZRP members have engaged in the violent oppression of political opposition,” noted the US when it announced the new sanctions regime last year.