He took office after the removal of Augustine Chihuri following the November 2017 coup d'état, and was officially appointed as Commissioner-General on 12 February 2018 by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
[1] By the mid-2000s, Matanga became a member of the Joint Operations Command, Zimbabwe's top state security coordinating body.
"[7] In 2011, it was reported that Matanga was vying against Innocent Matibiri, a nephew of President Robert Mugabe, for the position of commissioner-general amid rumors that Augustine Chihuri's term would not be renewed.
[9] In 2012, he was present at a meeting of the ZANU–PF provincial coordinating committee for Manicaland ahead of the 2013 elections, along with other top army and police officials.
[15] On 1 February 2021, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Matanga, along with state security minister Owen Ncube, Central Intelligence Organisation director Isaac Moyo, and Presidential Guard commander Anselem Sanyatwe.
[16][17] The British Foreign Office said Matanga "bears responsibility for serious human rights violations committed by the police and military during the crackdown on post-election protests in August 2018, which resulted in six civilian deaths.