President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been accused of turning cabinet into his personal fiefdom after he appointed two of his family members as deputy ministers in the new cabinet.
Mnangagwa brews a shocker after he appointed his son David Mnangagwa as the finance deputy minister and his nephew Tongai Mnangagwa as the tourism deputy minister.
Opposition party Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) spokesperson, Promise Mkwananzi, led criticism describing the new cabinet as “the worst since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980”.
“Particularly worrying is his appointment of his son and nephew as deputy ministers of finance and tourism, respectively. Equally disturbing is his retention, from the previous government, of several ministers who were rejected during his own party, ZANU PF’s primary elections, and in general elections,” Mkwananzi noted in a statement.
“The reappointment of old and tired loyalists exacerbates concerns about the lack of commitment to fresh perspectives and innovative ideas within the regime. It is also concerning that to accommodate friends and family, Mr. Mangagwa has expanded the cabinet from the previous 22 to 26 ministries or government departments. The bloated cabinet raises serious questions about the regime’s commitment to using the nation’s resources prudently.”
Political analyst Mkhululi Tshuma said the appointments were scandalous.
“This is the biggest scandal of all time. Even Mugabe in his worst never did this. How can you appoint your own child to superintend over the nation’s treasury? This is not a personal family business, but it is the nation that belongs to over 16 million people. Moreover, this comes when there are allegations of massive corruption that has left the nation riddled with a ballooning debt,” Tshuma said.
“Mnangagwa should not be allowed to treat our nation as if it’s his personal fiefdom. This has to be nipped. It’s time we all put aside all our differences and tackle this scourge which if not left unattended, will engulf and affect all of us including those who may think they are benefiting. The truth is that none of us is safe.”
Effie Ncube concurred noting that there is justification to entrust such a sensitive ministry as that of finance to an inexperienced individual.
“There is no justification to appoint his family members especially in the ministry of finance. You need a seasoned actor not a greenhorn who is coming from school or has been running some small business. This will be read in a negative light by the market that the country is going in the wrong direction. The response of the market will be in the negative even from the international community. Such an appointment will only breed corruption and incompetence,” Ncube said.
