Sanyatwe sworn in as sports minister

Lt Gen Sanyatwe Dilemma Revealed

After the unexpected shock removal of Lieutenant-General Anselem Sanyatwe from the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) as commander by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the riled General agonised on what to do next facing tough choices between accepting the appointment as Sports minister – a demotion – or rejecting the offer.

Sanyatwe was booted out and effectively demoted as the succession battle between Mnangagwa and Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga rapidly escalates towards a major showdown and turmoil.

Zimbabwe is currently sleep-walking into that trap.

Mnangagwa took the daring move in a bid to seize control of the army for politial survival, the power broker in Zimbabwe.S

ources say some within Chiwenga’s military-backed camp wanted Sanyatwe to refuse Mnangagwa’s offer, which would have been a dangerous escalation that could have thrown government into a precarious situation.

The deeply divided Zanu PF and government are locked in fierce succession conflict which is now spilling into government and the streets as shown by the called for March 31 protests.

After deliberations, Sanyatwe took the unpopular move among his hawkish allies: Accepting it.

Rejecting it would have thrown government into a deep crisis.

In the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, refusing to follow a lawful order from a superior, including the Commander-in-Chief, can be considered a serious offence.

If Sanyatwe had refused redeployment, for instance, it would have been viewed as disobedience – refusing to comply with a direct order from Mnangagwa, the Commander-in-Chief.

It could also have been widely considered as insubordination, failing to respect the authority and chain of command.

In a worst case scenario, it would have been regarded as a mutiny, actively refusing to obey orders, potentially inciting others to do the same.

In many military jurisdictions, including Zimbabwe, such actions would lead to court-martialling.

A court martial is a military trial to determine if an officer is guilt and appropriate punishment.

Administrative actions, that is non-judicial punishments such as reprimands, reduction in rank or fines, could also be taken.

Military experts say things which are considered in such cases, include lawfulness of the order; relevant context and circumstances, and military regulations

Ultimately, the decision to court-martial a commander for refusing redeployment would depend on specific circumstances and applicable military laws and regulations.