President Emmerson Mnangagwa has threatened “dire consequences” in 2025 against “errant ministers” who do not take their duties seriously by not attending meetings or are found in gross dereliction of duty.
In his closing speech after the last cabinet of the year at State House in Harare yesterday, Mnangagwa said:
“Let me, however, hasten to emphasise that cabinet processes are anchored on the timely submission of vital documents and regular attendance by ministers and officials. These include to both ad-hoc as well as standing cabinet committees. The worrisome tendency by ministers and senior officials to absent themselves from meetings is untenable. In some cases, junior officials are delegated to attend and merely ‘bench-warm’ the meetings. This culture is tantamount to dereliction of duty. Permanent secretaries should ensure that in their absence, only directors and above should attend working party meetings.”
Mnangagwa continued:”In the 2025 calendar year, the Chief Secretary (to the President and Cabinet) is directly to strictly monitor individual attendance and ensure that errant ministers and officials toe the line or risk dire consequences.Ministers should remain mindful that cabinet business takes precedence over all other business.”
Mnangagwa says he will no longer tolerate “bench warmers” in cabinet processes due to ministers who do not attend meetings.
“In cases where deputy ministers are assigned, they should be adequately capaciated to enable active participation in the requisite deliberations. To this end, I direct that inthe 2025 programme cycle and going forward, deputy Ministers must now sign performance contracts. It is incumbent upon ministers to ensure that their deputies are comprehensively briefed on government business and given the latitude for effective involvement.”