President Robert Mugabe has finally announced a new Cabinet, ending the anxiety and speculation that pervaded the nation since the President’s inauguration three weeks ago. The absence of a functional Cabinet had literally brought the country to a standstill, especially with regard to the economy.
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The nation can now move forward – with greater momentum (in whichever direction) now that we have a homogeneous government whose policy and direction are not conflicted as was the case during the inclusive government.
That animal (government of national unity) which incumbents Zanu PF and the MDCs mourned over and blamed for poor performance is dead and buried. There is no more hindrance, or conflict, or sabotage that should stand in the way of national growth, development and prosperity.
Agriculture, the mainstay of our country, can now be supported without secret saboteurs throwing spanners in the works and there is no more reason to divert proceeds from our natural resources such as minerals from national coffers out of mistrust and fear of custodians of national reserves.
What this means is that Zimbabweans now expect to see an improvement in their lives. They expect their government to put food on the table and provide decent service delivery, especially health, education, water, electricity, good roads, sanitation and general infrastructural development.
Mugabe appointed men and women who are no newcomers to issues of governance. True, some of them do not have very impressive track records in terms of competence, hard work or morality, but then it would not help anybody to judge them in their new appointments from history. To do so would seek to provide them with the excuse to continue in their old ways.
Mugabe did not become what he is, or stayed in power for that extraordinarily long time by being stupid. We want to assume therefore that this choice of ministers that he has provided to run this country at this particular time in the present environment is going to deliver.
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Granted, some — even many of them — were in government when the economy collapsed and when the people suffered, not only from hunger and debilitating poverty, but also from social and political brutality — but then the environment and circumstances are not the same and Mugabe cannot have brought them back to perpetuate that culture of failure, laziness, corruption, arrogance, greed or brutality.
The nation’s hopes hinge on this new Cabinet. Curiously, there are only three women ministers out of 26 and we have no choice, but to trust that they will serve the people well. The hope too is that, with most of them having been ministers for decades, they must have accumulated enough to get them by and should now be able to exercise restraint when that spirit of selfishness, greed, corruption and outright theft visits them.
The people are closely watching the new Cabinet and expect immediate signs of positive action and delivery.
