Prof Ncube joined the Government in 2018 as a non-elected
Cabinet Minister. Since then, he has made inroads into becoming an active
member of the ruling party.
He was elected Central Committee member for Bulawayo late
last year before President Mnangagwa appointed him deputy finance secretary in
the politburo.
Zanu-PF is expected to hold primary elections this week to
select candidates to represent the party in the forthcoming harmonised
elections.
President Mnangagwa has already been endorsed as the
party’s sole candidate for the presidency. All aspiring candidates were
expected to have submitted their CVs to the provincial administrator at the
respective provincial headquarters by Saturday at 6PM.
Aspiring candidates on Saturday and yesterday who had
submitted their CVs started circulating posters as they canvassed for votes.
Prof Ncube is among the new faces to contest for a National
Assembly seat for the newly-formed Cowdray Park constituency. His spokesperson,
Mr Clive Mphambela, confirmed that the Treasury boss has thrown in his hat for
the Cowdray Park seat.
“Yes, he submitted his CV to contest in the primary for the
Cowdray Park seat,” said Mr Mphambela.
Cowdray Park became a natural choice for Prof Ncube as it
has a serious potential for growth, he added.
“Cowdray Park is one of the biggest constituencies and is
the second largest constituency in terms of population after Budiriro in
Harare. The constituency has more than 70 000 residents,” said Mr Mphambela.
“So, to him it’s a natural choice considering its potential
for growth. So, it makes a lot of sense for him to develop the area as a
national leader.”
The poster for Prof Ncube’s candidature is inscribed
“massive development for Cowdray Park.” Among candidates that seemed to draw
the attention of the public is Dr Qhubani Moyo, who is vying for the Insiza
North seat.
Dr Moyo, contested in the 2013 elections on the Professor
Welshman Ncube led MDC ticket in the same constituency but lost to Zanu-PF’s
Cde Andrew Langa.
He took a break from politics and joined the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission where he was appointed one of the commissioners. Dr Moyo
was Zec spokesperson until his term lapsed and did not seek to serve for a
second term.
He has since emerged as one of the candidates to contest in
the ruling party’s primary elections. The party has deployed Politburo members
in various provinces to supervise the election process.
Bulawayo is led by Cde Tshinga Dube; Harare Cde Charles
Tavengwa; Manicaland Cde Patrick Chinamasa; Mashonaland Central Cde Kenneth
Musanhi; Mashonaland East Cde Mike Bimha; Mashonaland West Cde Christopher
Mutsvangwa; Masvingo Cde Lovemore Matuke; Matabeleland North Cde Obert Mpofu;
Matabeleland South Cde Richard Ndlovu and Midlands Province Cde Simbarashe
Mumbengegwi.
Meanwhile, Prof Ncube, who was in Bulawayo at the weekend,
met with former white commercial farmers at a local venue to share insights on
Government’s plan to compensate them for the improvements that were made in
farms prior to the Land Reform Programme.
Government resolved to compensate white farmers for the
developments they made on the farms following the fast-track Land Reform
Programme, which was done in the early 2000s.
Government has set a US$3,5 billion budget to compensate
former white farmers for the improvement made on the land.
The Treasury confirmed the meeting through a statement
posted on its official social media platform, Twitter, on Sunday morning.
“Finance Minister engaged white commercial farmers in
Bulawayo as Government steps up efforts to clear arrears, resolve its debt and
agree on a compensation plan for farm improvements as part of the ongoing
efforts to re-engage the international community and revive the economy,” reads
the statement.
Economic analysts have said the country’s debt cancellation
strategy was important as it would unlock potential investment to growth in the
economy. Chronicle
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