Central Intelligence Organisation

Last updated

Central Intelligence Organisation
Agency overview
FormedOctober 1963;60 years ago (1963-10)
Preceding agency
Jurisdiction Zimbabwe
Employees Restricted
Annual budgetNot subject to audit [1]
Ministers responsible
  • Owen Ncube
Agency executives
  • Isaac Moyo, Director-General
  • Dr. Gatsha Mazithulela, Deputy Director-General (Special Services)
  • Brig. General (Rtd)Walter Tapfumaneyi, Deputy Director-General (Operations)
Parent agencyMinistry of State Security in the president's office (OPC)

The Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) is the national intelligence agency of Zimbabwe. [2] It was conceived as the external intelligence-gathering arm of the British South Africa Police Special Branch in the early 1960s, under the Southern Rhodesian Prime Minister Winston Field, and later served as one of the secret police organizations for President Robert Mugabe's regime. [3]

Contents

History

The CIO was formed in Rhodesia on the instructions of Prime Minister Winston Field in 1963, at the dissolution of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and took over from the Federal Intelligence and Security Bureau, which was a coordinating bureau analyzing intelligence gathered by the British South Africa Police (BSAP) and the police forces of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.[ citation needed ]

The first head of the CIO was police Deputy Commissioner, Ken Flower, who, during his tenure, oversaw the BSAP's Special Branch headquarters incorporated within the CIO, while the Special Branch retained its internal security function within the BSAP upon gaining independence in April 1980.

Prime Minister Robert Mugabe kept Flower in the role of head of the CIO after majority rule in 1980, when the country's name changed to Zimbabwe. Flower had no more than a professional relationship with MI6, despite rumors that he had covertly and intermittently plotted with the British intelligence services to undermine Ian Smith's government. He had, however, an especially good professional relationship with Dick Franks, the head of MI6 at the time, as he had with all the other main intelligence agencies.

Before the March 2002 election, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) reportedly complained that its leaders were being "constantly harassed, intimidated and detained by the CIO and the police". [4] The Star quotes the Zimbabwe Financial Gazette as alleging that "CIO agents from the counter-intelligence unit were working with Foreign Affairs Ministry officials to monitor the activities and movements of the international observers ahead of the critical two-day poll". [4]

In March 2002, CIO agents reportedly arrested a Zimbabwean correspondent for London's The Daily Telegraph, Peta Thornycroft, who had gone to Chimanimani (about 480 kilometers east of Harare) to investigate election violence by the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), against the political opposition. Under the "new state security laws," she was expected "to face charges of incitement to violence and publishing of 'false statements likely to be prejudicial to state security'". Parliament reportedly passed "the public order and security bill by acclamation and not by formal vote" in January 2002. [5] These laws reportedly gave "sweeping powers to clamp down on the opposition". Thornycroft was reportedly released by the police "on a High Court order after four nights in detention". [6] An Amnesty International press release of 12 March 2002 condemned the CIO for harassing and detaining Zimbabwe Election Support Network supporters. [7]

In recent years, international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have criticized the CIO's role in alleged internal repression, which is said on occasions to have involved torture. [8] [9]

Structure

Isaac Moyo is the Director General of the CIO. Aaron Nhepera served as Deputy Director until his reassignment to different duties in 2019. [10] The CIO consists of nine key branches which include internal, external, counter-intelligence, military intelligence, close security, technical and administration. A ninth branch is known simply as branch six. [11] Directors who report directly to Nhepera head these other branches. Immediately under the directors are deputy directors, assistant directors, provincial intelligence officers, divisional intelligence officers, senior intelligence officers, assistant senior intelligence officers, intelligence officers, senior security officers, security officers, senior security assistants and security assistants. [12]

Functions

The function of the organization is to provide high level security to the state from threats both within and outside Zimbabwe. The organization also offers high level security to high ranking government officials like the President, various government employees like ministers and diplomats working in and outside Zimbabwe. Regionally, the organization works with other intelligence organizations from other African countries under a body called the Central Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) to tackle problems that threaten the stability of the continent and hamper development, such as terrorism and extremism. [13] The CIO has largely been viewed as the real power behind the ruling party' Zanu (PF), despite claims alleging the national army (ZNA) of being the same. Reports suggest that in the aftermath of the army deployment during the 2017 coup d'tat, the CIO, together with the Airforce of Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) had mobilized a counter force to thwart the rebellious army, but were ordered to stand down by the then President Robert Mugabe to avoid the country spilling into full blown civil war.

Recruitment

The application process for a job in the organisation is not public information as in other branches of the Zimbabwe security sector like the police or the army. It would appear that they recruit people with preexisting ties, and some have even proposed that recruitment is a long vetting process to verify their suitability for the job. There have been reports linking the organization with Midlands State University and University of Zimbabwe. These reports asserted that the organization was targeting university graduates for their recruitment sessions. The region of Matabeleland is also one of the areas in which the recruitment sessions are alleged to have taken place in recent years. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Smith</span> Prime Minister of Rhodesia (1919–2007) in office from 1964 to 1979

Ian Douglas Smith was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 1964 to 1979. He was the country's first leader to be born and raised in Rhodesia, and led the predominantly white government that unilaterally declared independence from the United Kingdom in November 1965 in opposition to their demands for the implementation of majority rule as a condition for independence. His 15 years in power were defined by the country's international isolation and involvement in the Rhodesian Bush War, which pitted the Rhodesian Security Forces against the Soviet- and Chinese-funded military wings of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Nkomo</span> Zimbabwean politician (1917–1999)

Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1990 until his death in 1999. He founded and led the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) from 1961 until it merged in 1987 with Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) to form ZANU–PF after an internal military crackdown called Gukurahundi in western Zimbabwe, mostly on ethnic Ndebele ZAPU supporters.

Herbert Wiltshire Pfumaindini Chitepo was a Zimbabwean politician and nationalist leader who led the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) until he was assassinated in March 1975. Although his murderer remains unidentified, the Rhodesian author Peter Stiff says that a former soldier of the British Special Air Service (SAS), Hugh Hind, was responsible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zimbabwe Republic Police</span> Law enforcement agency

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British South Africa Police</span> Rhodesian police force

The British South Africa Police (BSAP) was, for most of its existence, the police force of Southern Rhodesia and Rhodesia. It was formed as a paramilitary force of mounted infantrymen in 1889 by Cecil Rhodes' British South Africa Company, from which it took its original name, the British South Africa Company's Police. Initially run directly by the company, it began to operate independently in 1896, at which time it also dropped "Company's" from its name. It thereafter served as Rhodesia's regular police force, retaining its name, until 1980, when it was superseded by the Zimbabwe Republic Police, soon after the country's reconstitution into Zimbabwe in April that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zimbabwe National Army</span> Military unit

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 has its roots in the Rhodesian Army, which was raised between 1963 and 1964 after the breakup of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. A Joint High Command created in March 1980 to oversee integration of the formerly belligerent Rhodesian Security Forces, Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), and the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) officially established the Zimbabwe National Army in late 1980, nearly a year after the end of the Rhodesian Bush War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmerson Mnangagwa</span> President of Zimbabwe since 2017

Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa is a Zimbabwean politician who is serving as the third president of Zimbabwe since 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former President Robert Mugabe, he held a series of cabinet portfolios and he was Mugabe's first-vice president from 2014 until 2017, when he was dismissed before coming to power in a coup d'état. He secured his first full term as president in the disputed 2018 general election. Mnangagwa was re-elected in the August 2023 general election with 52.6% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Msika</span> Zimbabwean politician (1923-2009)

Joseph Wilfred Msika, was a Zimbabwean politician who served as Second Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1999 to 2009.

Articles related to Zimbabwe include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military history of Zimbabwe</span>

The military history of Zimbabwe chronicles a vast time period and complex events from the dawn of history until the present time. It covers invasions of native peoples of Africa, encroachment by Europeans, and civil conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Zimbabwe</span> Former head of government in Zimbabwe

The prime minister of Zimbabwe was a political office in the government of Zimbabwe that existed on two occasions. The first person to hold the position was Robert Mugabe from 1980 to 1987 following independence from the United Kingdom. He took office when Southern Rhodesia became the Republic of Zimbabwe on 18 April 1980. This position was abolished when the constitution was amended in 1987 and Mugabe became president of Zimbabwe, replacing Canaan Banana as the head of state while also remaining the head of government. The office of prime minister was restored in 2009 and held by Morgan Tsvangirai until the position was again abolished by the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe.

Geoffrey Nyarota is a Zimbabwean journalist and human rights activist. Born in colonial Southern Rhodesia, he trained as a teacher before beginning his career with a Zimbabwean state-owned newspaper, The Herald. As editor of the state-owned Bulawayo Chronicle in 1989, he helped to break the "Willowgate" scandal, which resulted in several resignations from the cabinet of President Robert Mugabe.

The Zimbabwean government claimed to have foiled a coup d'état attempt involving almost 400 soldiers and high-ranking members of the military that would have occurred on June 2 or June 15, 2007. The alleged leaders of the coup, all of whom were arrested, were retired army Captain Albert Matapo, Colonel Ben Ncube, Major General Engelbert Rugeje, and Air Vice Marshal Elson Moyo.

Kenneth Flower, ID was a Rhodesian police officer and intelligence chief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Coltart</span> Zimbabwean lawyer, Christian leader and politician

David Coltart is a Zimbabwean lawyer, Christian leader and politician. He was a founding member of the Movement for Democratic Change when it was established in 1999 and its founding secretary for legal affairs. He was the Member of Parliament for Bulawayo South in the House of Assembly from 2000 to 2008, and he was elected to the Senate in 2008. He was the Minister for Education, Sport, Arts and Culture from February 2009 until August 2013. He is a top official of the Citizens Coalition for Change political party which was formed in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Police Support Unit</span> Paramilitary wing of the Zimbabwe Republic Police

The Police Support Unit, also known by their nickname of the Black Boots, is a paramilitary wing of the Zimbabwe Republic Police. They were founded as a native police force but later developed into a counter-insurgency unit of the British South Africa Police in Rhodesia during the Rhodesian Bush War. The unit was the only paramilitary unit retained by the Zimbabwe Republic Police after the country's reconstitution as Zimbabwe.

David "Dan" Stannard was a Zimbabwean policeman who became a Branch Director of the Central Intelligence Organisation, under Ken Flower, thus serving under both the Ian Smith and Robert Mugabe administrations. He subsequently became manager of Zimbabwe's cricket team in addition to overseeing security for the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political history of Zimbabwe</span>

The modern political history of Zimbabwe starts with the arrival of white people to what was dubbed Southern Rhodesia in the 1890s. The country was initially run by an administrator appointed by the British South Africa Company. The prime ministerial role was first created in October 1923, when the country achieved responsible government, with Sir Charles Coghlan as its first Premier. The third premier, George Mitchell, renamed the post prime minister in 1933.

Michael Theodore Hayes Auret was a Zimbabwean farmer, politician, and activist. A devout Catholic, he served as chairman and later director of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJP) from 1978 until 1999. He also served as a member of Parliament for Harare Central from 2000 to 2003, when he resigned and emigrated to Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Gara</span> Zimbabwean politician

Oriah Anthony Gara was a Zimbabwean businessman and politician. He was a member of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe for Mbare East from 1990 to 2000 and served as deputy minister of local government, rural and urban development from 1995 until 2000. Before entering Parliament, he was a member of the Harare City Council and served as mayor of Harare from 1985 to 1986.

References

  1. ↑ Has Mugabe violated the constitution?
  2. ↑ Off Budget CIO funding threatens democracy
  3. ↑ Security Forces
  4. 1 2 Zimbabwe: Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) in Zimbabwe including its mandate, policies and procedures; whether its officers are armed, and what its uniforms look like; whether they arrest individuals on the street, or where they work.
  5. ↑ "Mugabe gets new powers". January 10, 2002. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Telegraph reporter arrested by Mugabe". The Telegraph. March 28, 2002. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Zimbabwe: Hundreds Detained In Crackdown". www.scoop.co.nz. March 13, 2002. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe continues under unity government". www.amnesty.org. February 10, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Ruthless crackdown in Zimbabwe on freedom of assembly exposes intolerance for dissent". www.amnesty.org. February 8, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  10. ↑ Karombo, Tony (2019). "Mnangagwa drops CIO deputy director, names new head of his secretariat". zimlive.com. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Central Intelligence Organisation". Pindula. 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  12. ↑ Zimbabwe: The Central Intelligence Organization (CIO), including its structure and branches and whether its members commit human rights abuses. And if so, the branch which is involved, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Published: November 2, 2001, Retrieved: June 24, 2014
  13. ↑ Isidore Guvamombe CISSA: When the Ides of March woke up a continent, The Herald, Published: April 23, 2013, Retrieved: June 25, 2014
  14. ↑ University Graduates Main Target Of CIO Recruitment Archived May 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine , Voice of the People, Published: February 26, 2011,by Fletcher Kondon @0786016127/0714140981 Retrieved: 24 June 2014
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.