Emmerson Mnangagwa has reportedly sworn he will make further changes to his Cabinet after last Friday’s mini-reshuffle that saw some ministers being redeployed and new deputies appointed, it has emerged.

Mnangagwa appointed Kazembe Kazembe as the new Home Affairs minister to replace Cain Mathema, who was moved to the Primary and Secondary Education portfolio.

Paul Mavhima, who was the Primary and Secondary Education minister, was appointed Public Service and Social Welfare minister to replace Sekesai Nzenza, who was shunted to the Industry and Commerce ministry, a portfolio previously held by Mangaliso Ndlovu.

Ndlovu replaced Prisca Mupfumira in the Environment, Climate Change and Tourism ministry after she was fired for alleged corruption.

Mnangagwa created a new ministry of National Housing and appointed an additional five deputy ministers.

Zanu-PF insiders said the reshuffle was meant to deal with growing concerns in the ruling party that Mnangagwa had concentrated power in the Midlands.

Mnangagwa was also under pressure to pacify Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga’s supporters, and those in the military, the sources said.

What has angered the military are a few points of irritation which involve the appointing of personal friends and own family members to senior positions in government. Mnangagwa cushioned himself with smiling yes men and women. Since 2018 elections, he hadn’t reshuffled his cabinet, apart from the duo – Prisca Mupfumira, and Joram Gumbo “shake up.”

In addition to this, below are some of Mnangagwa’s controversial appointments:

– Local Govt Minister July Moyo is Mnangagwa’s uncle.

– CIO minister Owen “Mudha” Mcube is Mnangagwa’s nephew.

– Fortune Chasi. He has been Mnangagwa’s lawyer, financier and also his deputy.

– Ziyambi Ziyambi is Mnangagwa’s sekuru (cousin). The Ziyambis come from Dambudzo’s village (located between Shurugwi and Zvishavane). He has a farm in Zvimba but his farm is in Shurugwi. (It is 40km from Shurugwi to Dambudzo village.

– Mthuli Ncube used to run a bank called Barbican in which Mnangagwa was a silent Director and he (Mnangagwa) was given a huge loan which led the bank’s sudden collapse. The bank was closed down by former RBZ governor Gideon Gono on the basis of a liquidity failure. During that time Mnangagwa shielded Mthuli Ncube from arrest and Mthuli Ncube flew out of the country together with his family. When Mnangagwa became President after the removing former president Robert Mugabe, he ended up appointing Mthuli Ncube in order to pay him back.

– Mnangagwa’s sister married to another Moyo(not related to July), the husband of the sister’s older brother is Obadiah Moyo (now appointed minister of Health). Obadiah Moyo has no parliamentary constituency, and yet he was unceremoniously handpicked by Mnangagwa.

– Mnangagwa’s mother is a Hungwe (sister to the former Masvingo Minister Josiah Hungwe). The Chairman of the Public Service Commission is another Hungwe.

The Matemadanda Factor.

The military is irked by the appointment of Victor Matemadanda. They say he was just a taxi driver during the war, he was just a runnser boy for Mnangagwa. Matemadanda was Mnangagwa’s father’s taxi driver. They allege he was appointed a war veteran by Mnangagwa on the mere basis of proximity with Mnangagwa.

Mnangagwa has removed a top military general who is a flying academic, Engelbert Rugeje, to replace him with a mere taxi driver. Is the army happy with this? Mnangagwa has stepped onto the military’s tail, it is said.

Then Comes in the Auxillia Irritation.

When Mnangagwa became President, he created an office for his wife, Auxillia, meaning she becomes a paid civil servant by virtue of her husband’s appointment. That is not constitutional. Auxillia travels in government cars, and she has an office at state house. She has become a top civil servant who can walk into any office and demand… She went to the government parastatal, Natpharm and harrassed workers there. She went to pharamacists. She also went to the Ministry Of Justice and harrassed officers there complaining why they are not arresting people who are corrupt. .

Auxillia is the one said to have gotten politburo member, Prisca Mupfumira arrested in September this year. The latter was arrested “on instruction” of Auxillia following the below interview with ZimEye.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=660SMt6SrVg&t=1091s

It is without doubt Auxillia has been given too much power and her presence has continued as an irritation to both the military and the intelligence.

Meanwhile the sources claimed that the second reshuffle expected anytime will see Mnangagwa dropping some ministers from his Cabinet and reassigning others.

Presidential Affairs minister Jorum Gumbo, who is being investigated by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission over the botched Zimbabwe Airways deal and other scandals is said to be one of the bigwigs facing an uncertain future.

“The changes are motivated by the president’s desire to consolidate power and do tribal balancing more than performance,” the source said.

“There are a lot of political reasons why three people from Mashonaland East, Chiwenga’s home province were appointed.”

Mnangagwa appointed Murehwa North MP Daniel Garwe as the National Housing and Social Amenities minister, Hwedza North MP David Musabayana as the new Foreign Affairs deputy minister and Hwedza South MP Tinoda Machakarika as the new Youth and Sport deputy minister. They all hail from Mashonaland East.

Chiwenga, who is in China where he has been receiving treatment for several months, is said to be leading a faction in Zanu-PF and is angling to take over from Mnangagwa.

The faction is said to be unhappy about the fact that most ministers in the Cabinet appointed by Mnangagwa after last year’s elections were either from Midlands or Masvingo provinces.

Besides ministers, a number of permanent secretaries and directors appointed after Mnangagwa took over from the late Robert Mugabe following a coup in 2017 are from the Midlands.

“Mnangagwa is realising that most of the people he has been appointing are from the Midlands,” another source added. “He now wants to decentralise power to balance in preparation for his re-election campaign in 2023.”

Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba yesterday said the president had the prerogative to appoint people he feels suit his vision.

Charamba said there was no way the president could make changes that weakened him.

He quipped, “So they expect the president to dismantle [his power]?”- Byo24/Additional reporting