via RadioVop Zimbabwe – Is Mugabe Set For Mini-Cabinet Reshuffle? by Prince Tongogara January 20, 2014
President Robert Mugabe is set to conduct a mini-cabinet reshuffle upon his return from annual leave as a means of putting the brakes on the fast deteriorating economy less than six month after appointing a new team following his disputed landslide victory last year, political analysts say.
World Bank resident economist Nadia Piffaretti last week said Zimbabwe’s economy was set to grow by 4.2 percent in 2014, a lower figure than government’s projection of a 6.1 percent growth mentioned in the national budget statement last month.
Piffaretti also said the weakening South African rand will further affect Zimbabwe’s ailing industries as imports will become cheaper.
The cabinet reshuffle is further fueled by the imminent swearing in of former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor as senator to replace Kumbirai Kangai, who passed away last year.
The analysts argue that a deteriorating economy and the gloomy economic outlook will force Mugabe to reshuffle his cabinet particularly the ministries of Finance and Economic Planning, Industry and Commerce and Energy and Power Development which should play a critical role in the recovery of the economy which has taken several months to be felt.
Mugabe is expected to chop or reassign Finance and Economic Planning Minister Patrick Chinamasa, Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha and Energy and Power Development Minister Dzikamai Mavhaire.
Bimha is struggling to revive industry with many companies continuing to go into liquidation while Mavhaire has failed to make the country have reliable energy and the recent policy reversal on mandatory bending of petrol with ethanol.
Gono is widely tipped to be appointed the next Finance Minister.
Political analyst Ricky Mukonza said Mugabe is set to reshuffle his cabinet especially the Finance portfolio but may delay a bit for political reasons.
“Yes he will because the current Finance Minister is showing that he is out of depth in that portfolio,”
Mukonza said. “Meanwhile the situation continues to deteriorate and requires a character like Gono given his experience in managing the previous crisis,” he added.
Gono was the RBZ governor for the past decade when Zimbabwe experienced an agonising economic meltdown forcing him to implement unorthodox economic solutions that kept Mugabe’s government in power despite rising anger and instability during that period.
Another analyst Sydney Masamvu concurred with Mukonza that a cabinet reshuffle is imminent.
Masamvu said: “It’s inconceivable that Mugabe and Zanu PF will allow a person of Gono’s calibre to remain a backbencher at this moment of crisis. Gono is likely to be appointed to cabinet thereby necessitating a mini reshuffle.”
Herald columnist Nathaniel Manheru widely believed to be Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba on Saturday further stoked the speculation with his public censure of Chinamasa and Bimha in his column.
On Bimha, Manheru wrote: “Why, too, even your ministerial name is a mistake at birth mistake that ruins all that follows. Circumstantially, you have become a minister of Trade, better still Imports, Sir. And you are doing a very bad job because your imports are evading banks and Zimra, leaving this economy anemic.”
Manheru was not yet done and tore into Chinamasa too. He scathingly wrote: “Himself a lawyer, Chinamasa perplexingly allows anger to outrun discretion. He asks the organisers why they invite people like Robertson to forums such as this! That was fatal, and a bad guy won, thanks to this human propensity for pity, for identifying with the supposed weak, the underdog.”
It remains to be seen what happens next but the dice has been cast and time will tell.
COMMENTS
000000000000 Tajoka futi. Gono again with all that Kereke has unveiled!!! No solution in sight. The titanic is fast sinking!!
Gono really!
We don’t need to blem gono, the man to blem still is the old man, if the queen is passing the button to someone who is young, full of ideas and very energy. Why can’t uncle bob do the same, give the button to someone who younger and better ideas. Do you think if chinos was on active politics in 1980, bob was going to say yes to chinos, to stand as an mp? For chinoz to be in paliament it shows that zanu pf has run out of ideas. Bob himself he knows that but he can’t pass the button to young blood bcause he does’nt know what they think abt him. I think in zanu they r some youngsters who can do better job than chinamasa or gono.
BACK TO YESTERDAY! WELCOME BACK DR ZEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS!
GONORIA!
How can Gono be appointed as minister of finance when he is facing allegations of fraud ? Already he has proved to be somebody who is dishonesty.
Nyepudzai, Mugabe is president even though 20 000 died during gukurahundi, countless died due to diseases such as cholera snd typhoid and scores lost lives through political violence. So, being a criminal in this country is what qualifies one for higher office.
Sad truth but well said
Oh people, watch the memorial service video and sure you will see that nobody will waste time prosecuting an 89+ year old man who is already singing for mercy to the Almighty. Mugabe himself knows that nobody cares about him. If Smith was allowed to farm and live some few yards near Mugabe’s residence, surely one would attract the wrath of evil if one were to kill that old man. The truth is that evil does not let go. And so Mugabe will stay until Zimbabweans learn how to fear God and move on. If Mugabe is still capable, is respected and his orders taken seriously, I advice the oldman to do the following mini-reshuffle:
1. Joseph Made to Chukurubi for destroying agriculture.
2. Parirenyatwa to Chikurubi for destroying the health sector.
These two ministries if not run properly, they can kill the country forever. These two thugs are being paid to kill our country. They deserve jail time.
But knowing what I have known for 34 years, these people will bury Mugabe and continue looting as if nothing. Cry my beloved country.
I watched the video clip of Mugabe when he was visited by family members and others a number of times and he looks very weak and ill. He apparently was too week to sit up properly and his one leg was twitching uncontrollably.
It looked like it was not possible for him to sot up properly and he was probably unable to walk to the bench he was reclining on. I have seen people weakened by disease – but this is one of the worst cases I have ever seen. If he makes it another month it would indeed be a medical miracle.
He will have to hurry up with the reshuffle otherwise he himself will be reshuffled by a Higher Hand before he can do that
Interesting.A few days ago,a lot of the haters were celebrating that he had been spotted dead in a freezer.
Now that he is obviously alive,u cant expect the same people to endorse whatever decision he takes.
@Mujibha.Do u read the Herald only?Broaden your newsbase,that way,u know what the other guy is thinking.
Articles in the Daily news & Newsday for example,have actually said that Chinos is actually making real and meaningful debate in parliament.Imagine that ,coming from them.
Enlighten me oh wise Murimi. You talk about so many haters wishing Mugabe dead. Why do you reckon Mugabe is hated by so many of his people?
To be honest zanu yapererwa period
Well given that parliament is now loaded with lotters, mere self serving hypocrites, liars, a$$ lickers, even a donkey or baboon could actually come up with something credible. The bottom line is that a reshuffle will not achieve anything. As long as the short, sick, murdering and shouting president is in charge there is no hope, its as simple as that. If anyone expects miracles from this tired old man and his largely recycled ministers then they surely need to visit a psychologist pronto. For 33 years Mugabe has failed to come up with policies to build onto the solid foundation that the Rhodesia regime left behind. If anything most of his policies have been driven by vendetta and patronage, this has resulted in Zimbabwe’s economy collapsing. For 33 years Mugabe has failed the country and any fool should see that with one foot in the grave Mugabe is more concerned about his health than anything else and he should be because he is very very sick and has been sick for a long time. To expect him to come up with anything to rescue the Zimbabwean economy would naive and akin to expect refined diesel to flow from a rock. I speculate that his stay in power well after his sell by date is driven by fear of being prosecuted for crimes he committed, being held to ransom by the military or simple stupidity. The guy is seriously sick and should be on his way to meet his maker soon. When he departs I will celebrate, I have even bought a bottle of Chivas for the occasion, I have not celebrated in a long time and such an occasion would just be too good to miss.
Mugabe could do a thousand reshuffles but the economy will still remain in a comatose state. What is required is a a sweeping change of policies and regulations so as to make Zimbabwe an attractive destination for investors.
What we have is a president who knows zilch about running an economy and has been blundering from pillar to post for 34 years. He is clueless and just exhausted.
Its very unfortunately that MDC T couldn’t recognise the government of ZANU PF because of the alleged election rigging , otherwise a wise boy Biti is the best candidate so far to be the minister of finance .
@Murimi , sorry brother our president is dead alive , you are a very wise man Murimi , and it is very clear to you as wise as you are that Mugabe will never take us forward , give him a break through retirement , stop hiding using your finger its helpless . Uyafana nje lomuntu osefile lowo.
Chinamasa is to emotional.Finance ministry can not be run by people of his calibre.He also does not have the real knowledge of finance.Let him go for pension and leave our economy to those who are capable.A fish rots from the head.The whole government should be reshuffled including the Presidium.They are good at Rigging elections but they do not have ideas to run the economy.Go now and save Zimbabwe.
There will be no cabinet reshuffle. Mugabe does not care about the status of Zimbabwean economy. Dictators are more concerned about power. The welfare of citizens is not part of a dictator’s agenda. So boys don’t brain storm there is no cabinet reshuffle. To Mugabe everything is normal.
Murimi wanhasi the state Mugabe is in its better to be in a freezer.What has Gono achieved if I may ask except printing money and removing zeros and being Grace’s small house.
@machael,i like your last part,a mighty hand might reshuffle him before he reshuffle anyone’,kkkk.
The only reshuffle needed is zanupf out out out….real technocrats patriots in in in. Chete. Stop dreaming. Vote for me
If Mugabe cared that much he would have done the honourable thing and cut short his leave to sort out the mess the economy is in. Any people oriented leader would. We have loads of leaders who have done just that. Afer all he can always resume his holidays at any time.
Or better still he would just resign and take his whole rotten cabinet with him. Why should he reshuffle a spent force. You can chew on a sugar cane stick for eternity you will not draw anymore juice from it. Only thing to do with it is dry it and burn it in the fire. How much longer can he recycle the same dead chuff?
Was the writer living under a rock 2008-9?I’ts irresponsible of him to say..“Meanwhile the situation continues to deteriorate and requires a character like Gono given his experience in managing the previous crisis,” he added
What did Gono do? Print worthless paper and pass it off as money?
how infuriating!!!
I need some air.