President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesman, George Charamba, has hinted that there won’t be major changes in Cabinet as his principal begins his second and final term.
Charamba said Mnangagwa will announce a new Cabinet soon and the focus will be on completing “far-flung projects around infrastructure” that he started during his first term.
Mnangagwa has already named his two deputies, Constantino Chiwenga, and Kembo Mohadi, who resigned in shame early in 2021 over a sex scandal.
newZWire quoted Charamba as saying Mnangagwa will be announcing a Cabinet “with a sense of urgency” as he gets down to business. Said Charamba:
By the way, we shouldn’t forget that the President ran on the ticket of continuity. He started lots of far-flung projects around infrastructure, be it roads, rail, water, energy; the whole area is yet to be completed.
Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube lost his bid to be elected to Parliament after contesting in Cowdray Park in Bulawayo.
Observers say Ncube will likely continue despite losing after the Ministry of Finance released a statement on Thursday saying it would continue with current economic policies.
Ahead of ZANU PF primaries that were held in March this year, Mnangagwa said his Agriculture Minister, Anxious Masuka “will be a non-constituency Member of Parliament”, an indication that he will continue.
Ministers who lost their seats include Industry Minister Sekai Nzenza who lost her constituency in Chikomba to delimitation.
She then contested another seat in the party primary but lost to Felix Mhona, the Transport Minister who went on to win the seat in the election.
Tourism Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu also lost his seat after his Bulilima East was collapsed into a new constituency, Bulilima.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi lost party primaries in Zvimba West but is reported to be a Mnangagwa favourite and will most likely bounce back.
Mnangagwa is allowed to appoint five Cabinet Ministers from outside parliament.
In 2018, Mnangagwa’s non-constituency Cabinet Ministers were Ncube, Amon Murwira as Higher Education Minister, Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry, Obadiah Moyo as Health Minister, and July Moyo at the Local Government Ministry.
More: Pindula News