PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa, rattled by the recent loss of three ministers to Covid-19, is considering a cabinet reshuffle that has sparked fierce jostling in Zanu PF and government.
Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso B Moyo and his Transport
and Infrastructural Development counterpart Joel Biggie Matiza and Manicaland
Provincial Affairs minister Ellen Gwaradzimba died last month from
Covid-19-related complications.
Mnangagwa, insiders said, was under pressure from Zanu PF,
the military and close business associates who are lining up their proxies for
ministerial posts.
He will need to deploy the skills to walk a fine line
between balancing interests of the opposing fronts and bringing in competent
personnel to help steer the country out of the current economic and diplomatic
mess.
The Zimbabwe Independent is reliably informed that
Mnangagwa has already started the consultation process for suitable candidates.
Sources said the President instructed Zanu PF secretary for
administration Obert Mpofu to collect curriculum vitaes (CVs) from members of
the National Assembly and the Senate.
Mpofu then delegated Zanu PF parliamentary chief whip
Pupurai Togarepi, who on Tuesday, sent SMS and WhatsApp messages to MPs,
demanding the CVs.
The message reads: “Attention all members, very urgent: May
you send summarised CVs on the following e-mail address (e-mail address
supplied). This is an instruction from the secretary for administration’s
office. It’s very urgent and confidential, of course.”
In an interview yesterday, Togarepi confirmed calling for
MPs’ CVs.
“I think that is an internal party issue which I would
normally not respond to, but I will just tell you that this was done to assess
our legislators’ skills, qualifications and competencies for future tasks. This
may have to do with moving them to different committees of parliament or other
appointments; so I will keep the information in my database,” he said.
Pressed on why party leaders demanded the CVs, he said,
“Oh, of course, yes, that is true. I was acting on instructions from my
superiors. I draw my authority from the leadership of the party. They now have
that information, but I don’t know what they will use it for.”
Efforts to get comments from Mpofu were fruitless as his
mobile phone was on voicemail. Questions sent via SMS went unanswered.
It is understood that legislators are jostling to take up
ministerial posts by angling to gain favour with Mnangagwa. Some MPs even
engaged consultants to prepare attractive CVs.
“It’s not a secret that there will be a cabinet reshuffle
soon. The President, though keeping his cards close to his chest, has given a
clear indication that he is not going to appoint gap fillers, but wants a
cabinet reshuffle. He also appears to be frustrated by the incompetences of
some ministers,” an official said.
A Zanu PF politburo member chipped in: “I haven’t seen this
level of interest in ministerial appointments. People have been running around
trying to fix things and lining themselves up for posts. As we speak, not one
MP failed to submit his or her CV.”
The final line-up of possible new cabinet members is
unknown, but sources indicated that Mnangagwa has lost faith in Youth, Sport,
Arts and Recreation minister Kirsty Coventry. She is likely to be replaced by
her deputy, Tinoda Machakaire.
Machakaire — a close associate of the influential business
tycoon Kuda Tagwirei — is angling for the top job.
“The issue here is that although the President liked
Coventry in terms of the Sport and Arts portfolio, she is seen to have been
found wanting in terms of the youth portfolio. Machakaire’s advantage is that
he is more robust. He is seen as having the capability to mobilise youths and
bring them over to the party.
This is being done with 2023 general elections in mind,” a
source said. There is uncertainty about who will get the Foreign Affairs and
International Trade portfolio although it’s touted that Mnangagwa is weighing
up four options, including Coventry.
Checks are being made, at Mnangagwa’s behest, on the
suitability of former African Union (AU) representative to the United States,
Arikana Chihombori-Quao — a medical doctor and ultra-pan-Africanist.
Some members of Mnangagwa’s inner circle expressed
reservations about her appropriateness given that she has frosty relations with
the West because of her unbridled attacks on France’s continued milking of
Francophone Africa’s resources.
In fact, she lost her ambassadorial post in 2019 after
Western governments pressured the AU Commission to recall her over her strong
views against France.
As such, sources said, consultations are underway with
ambassador and permanent representative of Zimbabwe to the United Nations in
New York, Frederick Shava. There are also suggestions to bring back former
Foreign Affairs minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi.
“This is proving to be a real issue now given the options
being weighed. At the end of the day, the President will make his choice,”
added another source.
Mnangagwa is facing problems in replacing Matiza and has
reportedly made consultations with Gokwe-Nembudziya legislator Justice Mayor
Wadyajena.
However, questions of conflict of interest arose since he
runs a transport business and has interests in some companies involved in road
construction.
The National Oil Infrastructure Company (Noic) chair Daniel
Mckenzie Ncube is said to be under consideration.
Zanu PF stalwarts are pushing for former finance minister
Patrick Chinamasa to take over as Information minister from the passive Monica
Mutsvangwa.
Mnangagwa, although relishing the idea because of Chinamasa’s
highly abrasive approach to things, is unsure of what to do with Mutsvangwa,
sources said.
“The dilemma here is that, basically, there are candidates
for all the other ministries and although some have suggested she can be moved
to replace Gwaradzimba in Manicaland. At the same time, it would not appear too
well to just drop her from cabinet,” an official said.
The military command element is pushing for the ouster of
Defence and War Veterans minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri. She, however, remains
one of Mnangagwa’s key factional allies.
“The only ministers who appear safe are those at Industry
and Commerce, State Security, Women’s Affairs, Lands and Agriculture, Home
Affairs, ICT and Tourism,” another source said.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba said “there will
be no cabinet reshuffle”. Zimbabwe Independent
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