Brigadier General Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi Biography | Wife, Career, US Sanctions
This is biography of Brigadier General Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi, a retired military officer, who currently serves as the deputy director-general of Zimbabwe’s Central Intelligence Organisation.
Wife
Walter Tapfumaneyi is married to Winnie Jessica Tapfumaneyi.
Also read: Understanding the Changes in US Sanctions on Zimbabwe: What You Need to Know
Career
Before assuming his role as deputy director-general in the President’s Department on January 16, 2020, Brigadier General (Rtd) Tapfumaneyi held various significant positions within the Zimbabwean government. These roles included serving as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Welfare Services for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees, and Restrictees. He also held the position of principal director in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and occupied several positions within the Zimbabwe National Army. Additionally, Tapfumaneyi served as director in the President’s Department between 2005 and 2009.
Also read: New US Sanctions On Zimbabwe: Understanding the Global Magnitsky Act
US Sanctions
In March 2024, the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control implemented sanctions targeting three entities and 11 individuals, including Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, members of the Mnangagwa family, and retired Brigadier General Walter Tapfumaneyi. These sanctions were imposed under the Global Magnitsky Program, aiming to hold Zimbabwean officials accountable for their actions. The new sanctions replaced penalties previously enacted by an executive order in 2003, which had since lapsed, according to the White House.
Involvement in Jestina Mukoko Abduction
Asher Walter Tapfumanei was identified as one of the abductors of human rights activist Jestina Mukoko. In 2008, Mukoko was abducted at gunpoint from her home in Norton and subjected to severe torture during heightened political tensions in Zimbabwe.
In 2017, High Court judge Justice Nyaradzo Priscilla Munangati-Manongwa ruled that former Intelligence Minister Didymus Mutasa, Tapfumaneyi, and Chief Superintendent Peter Magwenzi of the ZRP could be sued in their personal capacities for abducting and torturing Mukoko. This ruling came after Mukoko was awarded $150,000 in compensation for the damages she suffered while held incommunicado for three weeks by state security agents in December 2008.
