Engelbert Rugeje (born c. 1962) is a Zimbabwean politician and retired

general officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

who was the ZANU-PF national political commissar from December 2017 to 2018. He was the

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the

Zimbabwe National Army The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) is the primary branch of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces responsible for land-oriented military operations. It is the largest service branch under the Zimbabwean Joint Operations Command (JOC). The modern army h ...

(ZNA) until 2017. He was a prominent figure in the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état attempt. In December 2017 he was promoted from major general to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

upon retirement and admitted into ZANU-PF.

History

He was born in Charamba village, located in the district of Bikita,

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

. Rugeje is also an heir of the Charamba family. The Charamba family belong to the Zimbabwean Duma clan which, in turn, traces its origins back to the Rozvi kingdom. Rugeje was educated at Silveira Mission where he excelled.

Military service

He joined the

Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), a militant African nationalist organisation that participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhod ...

(ZANLA) as a teenager at the age of 16, serving as a

partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

. Taking the moniker of "Sunbat", he rose within the ranks of ZANLA to become a member of the movement's general staff. After the end of the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also known as the Rhodesian Civil War, Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Independence, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country U.D.I. ...

, Rugeje was offered the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the new

Zimbabwe Defence Forces The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) are the military forces responsible for the defence of Zimbabwe against external threats from other countries, and also to suppress internal armed factions. It is composed of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and ...

. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1983, and was made a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1987. Rugeje led a portion of the Zimbabwean military to quash the

Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), a Marxist–Leninist political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhode ...

(ZIPRA) rebellion in Matabeleland from 1983 to 1987. This was whilst he was the commander at Inkomo Barracks (the primary unit under his command being the First Mechanised Battalion). Rugeje ultimately led ZNA forces to victory over the ZIPRA. Rugeje was also successful in leading missions against the Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO) when he was commander of One Commando Battalion (currently known as One Commando Regiment or simply "One Commando"). Around 1984, under Rugeje's leadership, One Commando assisted other elements of the Zimbabwean military in defeating most elements of the RENAMO. In 1990 he was promoted to brigadier general and became

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

of the ZNA. In the mid to late 1990s he was actively involved in the Democratic Republic of Congo mission, in which he led successful counter insurgency missions. Rugeje graduated from

Lancaster University Lancaster University (officially The University of Lancaster) is a collegiate public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several new univer ...

with both a Master of Defence & Strategic Studies degree, and a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

degree. Major General Rugeje also holds a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. In 2000 he was promoted to major general, becoming the fourth in command of the

. On October 24, 2006 he praised cooperation between the

military of Zimbabwe The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) are the military forces responsible for the defence of Zimbabwe against external threats from other countries, and also to suppress internal armed factions. It is composed of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and ...

and the

Chinese People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

.Tightening the noose around China's bloggers; World Bank criticizes Chinese lending practices
American Foreign Policy Council On 18 December 2017, Rugeje was promoted to

upon retirement by President

Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa ( , ; born 15 September 1942) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as the president of Zimbabwe since 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former president Robert Mugabe, he held a series of cabin ...

Involvement in coup d'état

Rugeje, ZNA spokesman Ben Ncube, and

Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometime ...

Elson Moyo Elson Moyo was a Zimbabwean air officer and military general who served as commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe since December 2017 and one of the main figures in the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'état attempt. He was previously deputy commander of ...

were supposedly arrested on June 7, 2007 along with almost 400 soldiers for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Mugabe administration. Rugeje was called the "brains" of the attempted

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

.Coup attempt nipped in bud
Ocnus.NetTwo more senior army officers arrested
The Zimbabwe TimesTightening the noose around China's bloggers; World Bank criticizes Chinese lending practices
Chief Reform Monitor

Controversy

In September 2012, Rugeje was accused of seizing land meant for Zimbabwe's conservation efforts for himself; along with other high-ranking military, political, and social figures. President Mugabe ordered all seized land to be evicted, and scolded those involved, calling them "greedy".Zaba, Faith (Published on 16 September 2012)
Mugabe Blasts Army Generals
''Zimbabwe Independent''. Retrieved 2015-01-11. As of July 2014, Rugeje had still not vacated all (if any) of the aforementioned seized land. The Zimbabwean government began placing pressure on Rugeje, by denying him a

hunting license A hunting license or hunting permit is a regulation, regulatory or law, legal mechanism to control hunting, both commercial and recreational. A license specifically made for game hunting, recreational hunting is sometimes called a game license ...

. The particular type of hunting license he had requested would have allowed him to permit hunters, particularly foreign trophy-hunters, to hunt on and around the land he had seized. Ostensibly, Rugeje could make a profit through this, by charging for the right to hunt on the land, or by other related means. The Zimbabwean government took such an action as to make the land less profitable for Rugeje, thereby enticing him to abandon said land. At the time of this writing (January 2015) it is not known whether the pressure by the Zimbabwe government has encouraged Rugeje to leave the seized land.Bolder, Peter (Published on 2 July 2014)
Kasukuwere Clashes With Army Chief
''Now Daily''. Retrieved 2015-01-12.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rugeje, Engelbert 1960s births Living people People from Masvingo Province Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army personnel ZANU–PF politicians Year of birth missing (living people)