PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa hinted to Zanu PF party officials during a meeting at State House at the weekend that he is now finalising drafting his new cabinet ahead of its announcement on Monday or Tuesday.
“We met the President and he indicated that he is finalising his new cabinet list this weekend,” a senior Zanu PF official said.
“We are expecting a fresh team which will be a mixture of the old guard and young turks given that the elections introduced new blood in parliament. The President has a lot of options now to appoint from.”
Insiders say Mnangagwa has huge room and latitude this time around to field his own preferred team since he has shaken off the shackles of control from his deputy Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga who had big influence on him and his appointments during his first term.
Chiwenga installed Mnangagwa through a November 2017 coup, but the President has now become his own man after winning the elections by himself mainly using the Forever Associates Zimbabwe, a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO)-controlled outfit that took over the running of elections from the military.
In 2018, Mnangagwa was installed in power by the army which had ousted the late former president Robert Mugabe the year before via a disputed election.
There is anticipation from some sections of society on how Mnangagwa will line up his new cabinet, especially economic ministries.
Most business players and decision-makers are anxious to know who is likely to be the new Finance minister, although indications show that Mthuli Ncube is going back to the portfolio.
Besides Finance, other ministries which are key include Industry and Commerce, Mines, Transport, Education, Health, Public Service, which controls the National Social Security Authority, Energy, Justice, Home Affairs, Defence, State Security, Local Government, Foreign Affairs and Information.
There was a speculative cabinet list released on social media which had new names like Angeline Gata, Tinoda Machakaire, Joshua Sacco, Ngonidzashe Mudekunye, Tatenda Mavetera, Kindness Paradza, Barbara Rwodzi and Tafadzwa Mugwadi, among others.-STAFF WRITER
