Army Major General Constantine Chiwenga Zimbabwe

Constantine Chiwenga

Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces General Constantine Chiwenga

He was born in 1956 in Hwedza district of Mashonaland East Province. General Chiwenga was educated up to Form 4 at St Mary's Mission in Hwedza

Rhodesian Bush War
He joined the war in 1973 and was trained in Mozambique as a ZANLA militant. Chiwennga adopted the war name of Dominic Kanenge. He rose through the ranks to become a Provincial Commander for Masvingo/Gaza Province deputised by George Chiweshe who was the Provincial Commissar. He was later promoted to the High Command in 1978 to the post of ZANLA Deputy Political Commissar as Josiah Tungamirai's deputy.

Career in the Zimbabwe military

In 1981 he was attested to the newly formed Zimbabwe National Army as a brigadier commanding First Brigade in Bulawayo. He was later promoted to the rank of major general and reverted to his original name of Constantine Chiwenga. On the formation of Zimbabwe Defence forces (ZDF) in 1994 he was promoted to the rank of Lieuenant General and was appointed commander of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA). Upon the retirement of General Vitalis Zvinavashe in 2004, he was promoted to the rank of General and Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

He is the chairman of the Joint Operations Command, which comprises the commanders of ZNA, Prison Services, Central Intelligence Organisation, Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Air Force of Zimbabwe. He participated actively during the Zimbabwe land reform programme and is a beneficiary with a thriving farm near Harare.

The General's Wife - Miss Zimbabwe Trust chairperson Marry Chiwenga

JUDGEMENT in the divorce case between Zimbabwe Defence Forces commander Constantine Chiwenga and his former wife Jocelyn has exposed the amount of wealth which the Chiwengas have acquired over years, underlined by impressive real estate in Harare’s affluent suburbs.

Staff Reporter

Proceedings of the case cannot be published as it was held in camera, under case number HC 1200/12.

In judgment number 463/14 the High Court granted the Chiwengas divorce after both parties conceded that their marriage had irretrievably broken down.

The court also adjudicated on how the couples should share their matrimonial property, among them real estate, companies, top of the range motor vehicles, jewelry, furniture and clothes exposing their vast wealth in the process.

Most of the couples’ properties were registered in the name of companies.

The couple owned Blue Chip Stamp Company (Pvt) Ltd which owned a property at 5 Rosary Close, Quinnington, Borrowdale measuring 5 701 square metres.

They also owned Lighthouse Investments (Pvt) Ltd which owned four industrial units in Willowvale, with each unit measuring
3 850 square metres and Liversay Investments (Pvt) Ltd which owns a property at 614 Prince Drive in Borrowdale Brook measuring 4 817 square metres.

In addition, the Chiwengas owned Hidcote Investment (Pvt) Ltd which owns a property at 79 Follyjon Crescent measuring 4 955 square metres and Grandi Lodge Sixty One (Pvt) which owns a house on a 1 692 square metres stand in Borrowdale Brooke.

They also owned Ouacker Investments, which owns stand 103 Shawasha Hills residential estate.

The Chiwengas owned Yolsac Safaris (Pvt) ltd which trades as Kazungula Wildlife Safaris as well as Ventilux (Pvt) Ltd, which has since folded.

The couple also owned an apartment in Malaysia and a house at 9 Msasa Drive in Msasa Park.

In addition, the couple owned Dokson Investments which spearheaded operations at their farm in Goromonzi. Chiwenga was allocated the farm under the government’s land reform programme.
They also own stand 539 Borrowdale Brooke measuring 1 456 metres squared as well as Dominicus Investments (Pvt) Ltd which owns an industrial stand in Marondera.

The couple owned a property at 34 Lythan Drive in Glen Lorne and a vacant piece of land at Mermaids Pool about 42 kilometres from Harare.

Apart from the properties, the couple also owned motor vehicles, among them, a Prado, Jeep, Toyota land Cruiser V8, Mercedes Benz C180, Land Rover Defender and a Land Rover Discovery 4.

They had an impressive list of jewelry, among them, gold bracelets encrusted with diamonds, gold rings encrusted with diamonds, four gold watches with 36 carat diamond, three gold chains with diamond pendants, gold choker with centre diamond and two gold bangles encrusted with diamonds.

The Chiwengas had 40 gold watches, white gold rings, four white gold chokers, choker Jackie Kennedy pearls and bracelet pearls, 10 gold anlelet, an emerald ring, pearl ring encrusted with 24 carat diamond, forty eight gold broaches and a set of gold earings and chain with diamonds.

They also had 45 sets of diamond earrings, diamond tiara, blue diamond ring, diamond and emerald necklace, emerald cocktail ring, yellow diamond ring, diamond engagement rings, emerald rings and men’s rolex watches.

The court awarded most of the immovable property to Chiwenga including property at 5 Rosary Close, Quinnington, 79 Follyjon Crescent, stand 332 Borrowdale Brooke, Ventilux (Pvt) Ltd, Chakoma Farm, Marondera Industrial stand and part of Mermaids Pool, 3 850 square metre stand where Ventilux operated from on stand 181 in Willowvale and similar stand where C&J (Pvt) Ltd operated from.

He was given 85% share of 614 Price Drive, the couple’s matrimonial home, and stand 103 Chishawasha Hills, weapons and several hunting trophies.

Jocelyn was awarded the house in Glen Lorne and a second house on stand 332 Borrowdale Brooke which she had already disposed of.
She also got the 3 850 square metre stand from where her company Zimsafe operated from and a similar industrial unit which the couple was leasing. She also received two properties in Borrowdale Brooke.

She was given most of the property in the master bedroom, five bedrooms, kitchen and master bathroom at their matrimonial home.

She was also awarded seven vehicles among them a jeep, Toyota Land cruiser V8, two Mercedes Benz, Land Rover Defender, Land Rover Discovery and a Toyota Hiace.

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