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Zimbabwean analyst terms "reshuffling dirt" recent changes in Mugabe's cabinet
SW Radio Africa
February 10, 2004

Thanks to ZWNews for making this material available

Robert Mugabe announced a mini reshuffle of the cabinet yesterday. Only one cabinet minister has lost his post while Mugabe has reinforced his cabinet with former senior soldiers and CIO operatives. Former parliament Speaker Didymus Mutasa is now minister of special affairs in the president's office in charge of the anti-corruption and anti-monopolies programme. Mugabe sacked Edward Chindori-Chininga, the mines minister, and replaced Herbert Murerwa, the finance minister, with Chris Kuruneri. Murerwa returns to his former post as Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education. Mugabe retained his ministerial team - which he called the war cabinet - largely intact. Jonathan Moyo is still information minister, Patrick Chinamasa the justice minister and Joseph Made, the agriculture minister. John Nkomo retains special affairs minister in charge of lands, land reform and resettlement. New governors have been appointed for Harare and Bulawayo. Two new ministers of state have been appointed. These are Webster Shamu, who was appointed minister of state for policy implementation and Josiah Tungamirai, who is the minister of state for indigenization and empowerment. Brig (retd) Ambrose Mutinhiri takes over from Elliot Manyika as minister of youth development and Manyika becomes minister without portfolio. I spoke with political analyst Dr John Makumbe about this cabinet reshuffle.

[Makumbe] Well, it's really reshuffling dirt. It's, you know, when you have rubbish in the bin and it's smelling terribly, you just take a piece of wood and you reshuffle it around, it doesn't make any difference. It still smells terribly.

[SW Radio announcer Violet Gonda] [Laughing] So, were you surprised with any of the changes though?

[Makumbe] Oh, yes, I was surprised that, you know, he appoints, you know, Didymus Mutasa, a well-worn out and expired, you know, former minister, former Speaker of parliament and a man who terrorizes people in his own constituency. He appoints him to the cabinet as minister of anti-corruption and monopolies, anti-monopolies programmes. You know, it is really a joke because there are very few people who are, you know, less transparent than Didymus Mutasa.

[Gonda] What about Joseph Made? He has lost the lands portfolio and that's been given to John Nkomo. Is this a demotion or what? What is really happening there? What's your take on this one?

[Makumbe] No, it's not a demotion. He still has the agriculture and he now also has the resettlement. Now the resettlement is now in both John Nkomo's third portfolio [laughing] and in Made's portfolio, which shows you the kind of brain that was doing the designing of the cabinet, because the, you know, Lands is taken from agriculture, but resettlement is now in both agriculture as well as in lands. It's a bit of a distortion, it's a bit of, you know, senility.

[Gonda] And what about Elliot Manyika? He becomes minister without portfolio. Does this mean that he wasn't really doing well with the militia because that was - the militia were under his ministry?

[Makumbe] Well, I think he has not really been demoted as such. He is the - the phrase "minister without portfolio" is simply because Mugabe doesn't want to openly call him minister of the commissariat. He is going to even concentrate more on the militia and on ensuring that more hooligans and hoodlums are trained to beat up people as we get to the 2005 election. But of course Mugabe couldn't have called him minister of the commissariat because that would have been obvious.

[Gonda] And is it worrying that now that ministry is going to be led by a retired Brigadier Mutinhiri?

[Makumbe] It is very worrying because this is, again, part and parcel of the militarization of the government, which Mugabe has been, you know, pursuing for some time with the appointment of military personnel into Noczim [National Oil Company of Zimbabwe], into the GMB [Grain Marketing Board], into the governorship for Manicaland, and now it is also gone to the ministry of employment creation, youth, and it is obvious that this is going to be a double-effort with, you know, that minister and that ministry with Manyika's ministry working very hard on the commissariat, and on ensuring that the Green Bombers [Zanu PF militia] do their job, the war veterans do their job and even the military are brought in to, you know, subdue the people.

[Gonda] And I understand that Harare and Bulawayo now have governors. Are these really necessary since there are mayors in these areas?

[Makumbe] These are superfluous positions because they have nothing to do, because there are executive mayors in both Bulawayo and Harare, and even as we talk I think the two guys appointed wonder where their offices will be. They can't be at the town houses, they can't be at the civic centres. They probably will be in the Ministry of Home Affairs or local government. It is really superfluous. It is really jobs for the boys, that's all it is.

[Gonda] And the two new ministries, one that's going to be led by Webster Shamu and the other by Josiah Tungamirai, I think Tungamirai is going to be the Minister of State for Indigenization and Empowerment, and Webster Shamu is going to be the Minister of State for Policy Implementation. Are these also necessary?

[Makumbe] These are totally unnecessary. It's like saying all the other portfolio ministries are not really concerned about policy implementation. How are they running? What do they do if it is not policy implementation? And then the indigenization and empowerment for Tungamirai in what sense? All ministries, all government departments should be empowering everybody, should be empowering all Zimbabweans, whether indigenous or not. These are really, again, jobs for the boys. Tungamirai is, of course, being rewarded for behaving himself and allowing, you know, [late Vice-President] Muzenda to hold on to the Gutu North Constituency and then winning this election. So he's being rewarded duly. Webster Shamu is obviously a well-known hooligan of the party. He's one of those Zanu PF hoodlums who will beat up a person and then say "whom did we beat up?", you know. And he is being brought in preparation for the 2005 election.

[Gonda] And Chris Kuruneri takes over, you know, has taken the finance ministry from Herbert Murerwa. Can he handle that job?

[Makumbe] I don't really think so, but I think he is probably better than Herbert Murerwa, who really knew precious little about the ministry of finance. Kuruneri at least knows a few things, at least he knows what GNP means. But he is as much immersed in the, you know, scandals that are going on to do with businesses and shady deals as any of the lot in Zanu PF.

[Gonda] And what about Chinori-Chinenga, who has lost his job? He is the only minister that has lost his job. What is your take on this?

[Makumbe] I think he was a clear non-performer. He did nothing while he was in charge of mining. People were smuggling gold and taking it, you know, out. They were smuggling several mineral ores - unprocessed and, you know, dragging them out of the country. He was a clear non-performer and he deserved what came to him.

[Presenter] Political analyst John Makumbe.

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