By Prince Kurupati
The newly elected Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday 11 September announced his cabinet. Many of the old faces from the previous cabinet were retained while the president’s son and nephew were also placed in some key positions.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa narrowly won the 23 August elections after garnering 52.6% of the vote according to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). His main opponent Nelson Chamisa of the Citizens Coalition for Change received 44% of the total votes cast. The win gave Mnangagwa his second and last term in office.
As he closed his first term, Mnangagwa faced much pressure owing to the debilitating economy. Inflation was on the up, the exchange rate was highly volatile hence eroding the value of workers’ earnings. The unemployment rate was ever-increasing with hoards of young people being churned out of schools, colleges and universities every year with little hopes of securing employment in a largely informal economy.
These challenges are the same that Mnangagwa faces as he starts his second term in office. To help him tackle the challenges, President Mnangagwa opted to retain the majority of the old faces from the previous cabinet. Some of the retained names include Christopher Mutsvangwa (minister responsible for the affairs of veterans of the liberation struggle), Tino Machakaire (minister of youth empowerment), Oppah Muchinguri (minister of defence), Monica Mutsvangwa (minister of women affairs, community and small to medium enterprises), Winston Chitando (minister of Local Government and Public Works), Fredrick Shava (minister of foreign affairs), Kazembe Kazembe (minister of home affairs) and Ziyambi Ziyambi (minister of justice, legal and parliamentary affairs).
The two technocrats who were appointed as Cabinet members in Mnangagwa’s first term Professor Mthuli Ncube and Kirsty Coventry were retained in the same portfolios that is, in the finance and sports ministries respectively. This despite the fact that their tenures were largely viewed as uninspiring by most experts and the general citizenry.
The finance minister Professor Mthuli’s shortcomings were visible to see as the country in the past 5 years struggled economically. The same can be said for sports minister Kirsty Coventry whose tenure in the past 5 years saw the Zimbabwe national football team banned from hosting international soccer games by the Confederation of African Football because of substandard stadiums. This was soon followed by an international 18-month ban from FIFA. Defending the Kirsty Coventry appointment, the president said, “I have reappointed (Coventry) because I am happy with her performance. Whoever was not impressed by her can appoint someone else when they become president”.
The biggest surprise during the announcement of the ministers came when the president announced that his son and nephew were to be part of the new ministerial appointments. David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa was appointed the deputy minister of Finance and Investment Promotion while Tongai Mnangagwa was appointed deputy minister of Tourism and Hospitality.
The announcement of the new ministers was met with mixed reactions. Those who align with the ruling party lauded the appointments saying they demonstrate the president’s commitment to continue his positive work in transforming the country’s economy while at the same time consolidating the gains made in the past 5 years. Fungi Kwaramba and Wallace Ruzvidzo writing for the state publication The Herald said by retaining old faces, it becomes smoother and easier to “accelerate the implementation of programmes and projects that will transform the lives of Zimbabweans towards vision 2030”.
However, those in the opposition sector have lambasted the appointments. The majority question why the same old faces were retained when they clearly failed to put the country on a prosperous path in the last 5 years. Some have also called out the president for prioritising nepotism over meritocracy. This owing to the appointments of Mnangagwa’s close family members including his son.
The spokesperson of the main opposition party CCC Advocate Fadzai Mahere when commenting on the appointments said, “It’s a toxic mix of illegitimacy, corruption, violence, nepotism, incompetence and sex scandals – everything but the ethical leadership of Zimbabwe want and deserve. No wonder the national mood is so funereal.”
By appointing his son and close family relatives to top government positions, Emmerson Mnangagwa joins a rather growing list of presidents who have done this in the past. These include the recently deposed Ali Bongo, Ondimba of Gabon who succeeded his father and served in the government before his father’s death, Laurent Desire Kabila who appointed his son in government and later on, the son Joseph Kabila succeeded him, Equatorial Guinea’s president Teodoro Obiang Nguema who appointed his son as Vice President, President Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville who appointed his son as a Cabinet minister and Paul Kagame of Rwanda who appointed his daughter Ange Kagame as the deputy executive director of the strategy and policy council in the office of the president.
Another criticism albeit not aimed at the appointees personally entails the size of the Cabinet itself. With 26 portfolios, the new Cabinet is one of the biggest in the country’s history. Critics have thus lambasted the bloated nature of the Cabinet saying that at such a time when the country is reeling under tough economic circumstances, the best route was to appoint a lean but competent Cabinet.
Commenting on the appointees selected to spearhead the country’s economic transformation, the president was he is confident in the people he picked. He went on to say that he only picked ministerial candidates from those on the ruling party, Zanu PF’s ticket as “the opposition would enjoy to be in actual opposition rather than in government”.
Below is the list of the full Cabinet:
Finance and Investment Promotion —Mthuli Ncube
Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs—Christopher Mutsvangwa
Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training —Tino Machakaire
Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture—Kirsty Coventry
Environment, Climate and Wildlife —Mangaliso Ndlovu
Tourism and Hospitality Industry —Barbara Rwodzi
Defence —Oppah Muchinguri
Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development —Monica Mutsvangwa
Local Government and Public Works —Winston Chitando
Foreign Affairs and International Trade —Frederick Shava
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage —Kazembe Kazembe
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs —Ziyambi Ziyambi
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services —Jenfan Muswere
Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services —Tatenda Mavetera
Mines and Mining Development —Zhemu Soda
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development —Amon Murwira
Primary and Secondary Education —T Moyo
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare- July Moyo
Industry and Commerce —Sithembiso Nyoni
Transport and Infrastructural Development —Felix Mhona
Energy and Power Development —Edgar Moyo
National Housing and Social Amenities —Daniel Garwe
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development —Anxious Masuka
Health and Childcare —Douglas Mombeshora
Minister of State for Presidential Affairs in the Office of the President and Cabinet —Lovemore Matuke
Skills Audit and Development — Paul Mavima
Deputies
Finance and Investment Promotion —David Mnangagwa
Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Affairs —Monica Mavhunga
Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training —Mpamhanga Junior
Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture — Emily Jesaya
Environment, Climate and Wildlife —John Paradza
Defence —Brigadier General (Rtd) Levy Mayihlome
Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development —Jennifer Mhlanga
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development —Simelizezwe Sibanda
Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services —Dingumuzi Phuti
Primary and Secondary Education —Angeline Gata
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare —Mercy Dinha
National Housing and Social Amenities — Yeukai Simbanegavi
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development —Vangelis Haritatos and Davis Marapira
