PRESIDENT Mugabe’s swift response in appointing a new Mines minister to replace injured Eddison Zvobgo, currently recuperating in the United Kingdom, has been seen as a complete departure from his usual style of retaining ailing incumbents and raises more questions than answers.
By increasing the size of government rather than reducing it, the reshuffle is bound to dismay the IMF and other donors who have been insisting Zimbabwe must live within its means.
Political observers point out the changes reward loyal supporters and punish a notable critic.
Making his long-waited cabinet reshuffle in Harare yesterday, Mugabe said Zvobgo’s injury would see the minister “disabled for some time”. He was therefore forced to come up with a new minister to take over the important ministry and appointed former resident minister and provincial governor for Mashonaland West, Swithun Mombeshora to the post.
Zvobgo, who was injured in a traffic accident on February 29, was appointed Minister without Portfolio. Mugabe’s speed in replacing Zvobgo has no precedent, as is evidenced by his reluctance to appoint a substantive Finance minister over the past seven months.
The new appointment is, however, being viewed in political circles as a “rap over the knuckles” for the role Zvobgo has played in Masvingo, where two political factions in Zanu PF now exist. The other faction is headed by vice-president Simon Muzenda.
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Another Minister without Portfolio post was handed to Zanu PF chairman Joseph Msika.
Mugabe said Msika would continue in his role of strengthening the party, but would now sit in cabinet to “see what is going on”.
However, political analysts have said the move of Msika to cabinet was meant to appease party members mainly from Matabeleland who had raised their concern that their representation in the cabinet was dwindling following the illness of vice-president Joshua Nkomo.
It has also been said the move places Msika close to the centre of power in the event of Nkomo’s incapacity.
Nkomo is in Cape Town where he is undergoing medical treatment over the next three weeks. He left for Cape Town on Wednesday, on an Airforce of Zimbabwe jet.
Former Foreign Affairs minister Nathan Shamuyarira, who last year was demoted to the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, is once again on the move, 13 months after his last appointment.
Shamuyarira goes to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The role of the ministry, under the new open market orientation of the Zimbabwe economy, is fast dwindling leading analysts to wonder whether the latest move is at all significant.
Herbert Murerwa takes over the Finance ministry, which has gone for some eight months without a substantive minister. Murerwa has been acting minister since then, in addition to holding his old Industry and Commerce post.
Thenjiwe Lesabe has been moved from the Education ministry to National Affairs, Employment Creation and Co-operatives, making way for Edmund Garwe, former provincial governor for Mashonaland East.
Joice Mujuru has bounced back into cabinet from provincial governor Mashonaland Central to take over the Ministry of Information, Posts and Telecommunications in one of the surprise appointments.
She takes over from David Karimanzira, whose tenure at the Information ministry has been mired in controversy, especially over the controversial PTC cellphone tender. Despite being floated some 19 months ago, no end seems in sight for the tender, which has now been sent back to the retendering stage.
Mujuru will obviously come face to face with her businessman husband Solomon, who has made no bones about his interest in getting into pay-TV, cellular phones, and broadcasting.
Asked whether Karimanzira’s new appointment as governor and resident minister of Mashonaland East had anything to do with his handling of the cellular tender, Mugabe said: “You can read whatever you want in that, but we felt there was a need for change there and a new impetus. We feel it is a merited one.”