The Joint Operations Command (JOC) is the supreme organ for the coordination of state security in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. It was established by the

Rhodesian Security Forces The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force (the Rhodesian Army), the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel ...

Combined Operations Headquarters Combined Operations Headquarters was a department of the British War Office set up during Second World War to harass the Germans on the European continent by means of raids carried out by use of combined naval and army forces. History The comm ...

to supervise its

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...

campaign in the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia). The conflict pitted three forc ...

as well as external incursions into neighbouring countries such as

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

. The JOC retained its role in the post-independence

Zimbabwe Defence Forces The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) are composed of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ). As a landlocked country, Zimbabwe has no navy. The most senior commander of the ZDF is General Philip Valerio Sibanda. At th ...

, and has since been accused of manipulating elections and orchestrating

political violence Political violence is violence which is perpetrated in order to achieve political goals. It can include violence which is used by a state against other states ( war), violence which is used by a state against civilians and non-state actors ( forc ...

2008

The JOC was headed in 2008 by Minister of State Security

Didymus Mutasa Didymus Noel Edwin Mutasa (born 27 July 1935) is a Zimbabwean politician who served as Zimbabwe's Speaker of Parliament from 1980 to 1990. Subsequently, he held various ministerial posts working under President Robert Mugabe in the President's O ...

, but he was replaced soon after the Zimbabwean presidential election held on 29 March 2008, by the Minister of Rural Housing and Social Amenities

Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa (, US: (); born 15 September 1942) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as President of Zimbabwe since 24 November 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former President Robert Mugabe, he held a se ...

. 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 29 March election and the runoff election in July 2008. It has come under scrutiny from members of the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states. Names The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contractio ...

of the ZANU-PF.

Membership

Members and former members included: *

Oppah Muchinguri Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri (born Oppah Chamu Zvipange Muchinguri; 14 December 1958) is a Zimbabwean politician, who is the Minister of Defence in the Cabinet of Zimbabwe since 2018. She has also served as Minister of Higher Education and Ministe ...

– Minister of Defence * General Philip Valerio Sibanda – Commander of the

* Lieutenant General Edzai Chimonyo – Commander 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 ha ...

* Air Marshal (Elsen Moyo) – Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe * Commissioner

Godwin Matanga Tandabantu Godwin Matanga (born 5 February 1962) is a Zimbabwean police officer who serves as the current commissioner-general of the Zimbabwe Republic Police since 19 December 2017. He took office after the removal of Augustine Chihuri fol ...

– Commissioner of the

Zimbabwe Republic Police The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is the national police force of Zimbabwe, having succeeded the British South Africa Police on 1 August 1980. History The predecessor of the Zimbabwe Republic Police was the British South Africa Police of Rho ...

* Major General (Ret.) Paradzayi Zimondi – Head of the Zimbabwe prison service *

Isaac Moyo Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was t ...

– Director-General of the

Central Intelligence Organisation The Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) is the national intelligence agency of Zimbabwe. It was conceived as the external intelligence-gathering arm of the British South Africa Police Special Branch in the early 1960s, under the Southern ...

John Mangudya John Panonetsa Mangudya (born 5 October 1963) is the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. He was appointed in March 2014 by the then Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, and began his tenure as governor on 1 May that year. He succeeded Gideon ...

– Governor of the

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is the central bank of Zimbabwe and is headquartered in the capital city Harare. History The bank traces its history to the Reserve Bank of Rhodesia, founded on 22 May 1964, but which succeeded the Bank of Rhodesia ...

* Brigadier-General

Douglas Nyikayaramba Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

Proposed restructuring

According to the deal arising out of political negotiations between the three largest political parties, the JOC was to be renamed the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...

. It was to be chaired by

Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of th ...

and the former

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Morgan Tsvangirai Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (; ; 10 March 1952 – 14 February 2018) was a Zimbabwean politician who was Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. He was President of the Movement for Democratic Change, and later the Movement for Democrati ...

, was to be a sitting member.

References

External links

Observer (2009-02-15): Power sharing in Zimbabwe threatened by five-man cabal.
{{Military of Zimbabwe Military of Zimbabwe Politics of Zimbabwe