Joint Operations Command
Encyclopedia
The Joint Operations Command (JOC) is the supreme organ for the coordination of state security in Zimbabwe
. It was established by the Rhodesia
n government and co-ordinated the counter-insurgency war in the Rhodesian Bush War
as well as military incursions into neighbouring countries such as Mozambique
. The JOC retained its role in post-independence Zimbabwe, and has been accused of master-minding political violence.
, but he was replaced soon after the Zimbabwean presidential election
held on March 29, 2008, by the Minister of Rural Housing and Social Amenities Emmerson Mnangagwa
. The JOC has been accused of organising repression campaigns against both opposition partisans, civil society and the U.S. ambassador.
It has been claimed that in the wake of the Zimbabwean presidential election, the JOC de facto took over control of the day-to-day decision-making of government, effectively operating as a military junta. The JOC has also been implicated in the violent suppression of opposition supporters between the March 29 election and the runoff election in July 2008.
It has come under scrutiny from members of the Politburo
of the ZANU-PF.
and the prime minister
, Morgan Tsvangirai
, is to be a sitting member.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. It was established by the Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
n government and co-ordinated the counter-insurgency war in the Rhodesian Bush War
Rhodesian Bush War
The Rhodesian Bush War – also known as the Second Chimurenga or the Zimbabwe War of Liberation – was a civil war which took place between July 1964 and December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia...
as well as military incursions into neighbouring countries such as Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
. The JOC retained its role in post-independence Zimbabwe, and has been accused of master-minding political violence.
2008
The JOC was headed in 2008 by Minister of State Security Didymus MutasaDidymus Mutasa
Didymus Noel Edwin Mutasa is a Zimbabwean politician, currently serving as the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and as the Secretary for Administration of ZANU-PF.-Family background:...
, but he was replaced soon after the Zimbabwean presidential election
Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008
The Republic of Zimbabwe held a presidential election along with a parliamentary election on 29 March 2008. The three major candidates were incumbent President Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front , Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change , and...
held on March 29, 2008, by the Minister of Rural Housing and Social Amenities Emmerson Mnangagwa
Emmerson Mnangagwa
Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is a Zimbabwean politician who has been Minister of Defense since February 2009. He was previously Minister of State Security from 1982 to 1988, then Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs until 2000; he was Speaker of Parliament from July 2000 to 2005 and...
. The JOC has been accused of organising repression campaigns against both opposition partisans, civil society and the U.S. ambassador.
It has been claimed that in the wake of the Zimbabwean presidential election, the JOC de facto took over control of the day-to-day decision-making of government, effectively operating as a military junta. The JOC has also been implicated in the violent suppression of opposition supporters between the March 29 election and the runoff election in July 2008.
It has come under scrutiny from members of the Politburo
Politburo of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front
The Politburo is a 49-member body that formulates and decides policy for the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front, the minority party in the Zimbabwean Parliament...
of the ZANU-PF.
Membership
- Emmerson MnangagwaEmmerson MnangagwaEmmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is a Zimbabwean politician who has been Minister of Defense since February 2009. He was previously Minister of State Security from 1982 to 1988, then Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs until 2000; he was Speaker of Parliament from July 2000 to 2005 and...
- Minister of Defence - General Constantine ChiwengaConstantine Chiwenga- Personal life :He was born in 1956 in Hwedza district of Mashonaland East Province. General Chiwenga was educated up to Form 4 at St Mary's Mission in Hwedza, together with Air Marshal Perence Shiri and Brigadier General Shungu, Commander Mechanised Brigade....
- Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces - Lieutenant General Philip Sibanda - Commander of the Zimbabwe National ArmyZimbabwe National ArmyThe Zimbabwe National Army is the land warfare branch of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. The ZNA currently has an active duty strength of 30,000.-History:...
- Air Marshal Perence ShiriPerence ShiriAir Marshal Perence Shiri is the current commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe and a member of the Joint Operations Command which exerts day-by-day control over Zimbabwe's government.Perence Shiri is a cousin of President Robert Mugabe...
- Commander of the Air Force of ZimbabweAir Force of ZimbabweThe Air Force of Zimbabwe is the air force of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. It was known as the Rhodesian Air Force until 1980. The Air Force of Zimbabwe saw service in the Mozambican Civil War in 1985 and the Second Congo War of 1998–2001.... - Commissioner Augustine ChihuriAugustine Chihuri-References:...
- Commissioner of the Zimbabwe Republic PoliceZimbabwe Republic PoliceThe Zimbabwe Republic Police is the national police force of Zimbabwe, known until July 1980 as the British South Africa Police. -Structure:... - Major General (Ret.) Paradzayi Zimondi - Head of the Zimbabwe prison service
- Happyton BonyongweHappyton BonyongweHappyton Bonyongwe is the director general of the Zimbabwean government spy agency, the Central Intelligence Organisation . He is a retired Brigadier in the Zimbabwe National Army. Under his leadership, the CIO has become more potent, with countless citizens vanishing or dead at the hands of CIO...
- Director-General of the Central Intelligence Organisation - Gideon GonoGideon GonoGideon Gono is the current Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and former CEO of the Jewel Bank, formerly known as the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe...
- Governor of the Reserve Bank of ZimbabweReserve Bank of ZimbabweThe Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is the central bank of Zimbabwe.-History:The bank traces its history to the Bank of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, founded in March 1956, which in turn was the successor to the Central Currency Board....
Proposed restructuring
According to the deal arising out of political negotiations between the three largest political parties, the JOC is to be renamed the National Security Council. It will be chaired by Robert MugabeRobert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
and the prime minister
Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
The Prime Minister of Zimbabwe is the head of government in Zimbabwe. From 1980 to 1987, Robert Mugabe was the first person to hold the position following independence from the United Kingdom. He took office when Rhodesia became the Republic of Zimbabwe on 18 April 1980...
, Morgan Tsvangirai
Morgan Tsvangirai
Morgan Richard Tsvangirai is the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. He is the President of the Movement for Democratic Change - Tsvangirai and a key figure in the opposition to President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe on 11 February 2009...
, is to be a sitting member.