Ministers should dance according to Mugabe's tune, says Chimene

FORMER Cabinet ministers who fell by the wayside during Monday's reshuffle were the architects of their own demise because they were acting contrary to the expectations of the appointing officer, who is President Mugabe.

In an interview on Tuesday this week, Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Mandi Chimene said as appointees ministers danced according to the tune of the appointing officers.

"The Cabinet reshuffle saw the axe falling on some individuals who thought they had their own way of doing things. They were all appointed by President Mugabe and they forgot that reports of their shenanigans would always reach his desk.

"Some of these people were working with renegades who were fired from the party. If you wine and dine with renegades, then you should not cry foul when you are called to account for your actions. This was well pronounced in the war veterans ministry. We now have a new broom and we expect the incumbent to be so swift like an eagle. He knows what should be done and failure to do so will see him also facing the same fate as his short-lived predecessors," said Chimene.

She said as politicians they had the mandate of the electorate to deliver on a given mission.

"You don't need a university degree to be elected as a representative of the people either in Parliament or local authorities. If the electorate has confidence in you, they will vote you into office. After getting the mandate of the people and if the President saw sound leadership qualities in you, he will appoint you into another office. If the two (President Mugabe and the electorate) lose confidence in you, then that is your Waterloo. Yes, some people were given new mandates. Ndivo vatinoti vana ndapotsa ndasara. They should take a deep reflection on their performance and pull up their socks. I don't know what tomorrow holds for me, but for now Mandi is safe. The axe may fall on me, but history will judge me as a straight talker," she said, adding: "At one time guns were blazing against me for pointing out some of the shenanigans that were being done by our leaders.

"So many things were said about me and I was called so many names like Mandi wefodya, Mandi wemhamba or grade refodya yaMandi, but I was not moved.

"Day-dreamers are always there and they tried all the tricks in the book to have me ousted together with the national political commissar. Chimene said that the recent Cabinet reshuffle would not weaken Zanu-PF ahead of next year's harmonised elections.

"People have been complaining that those mandated to do their work were sleeping on duty and President Mugabe acted. The same people are now crying foul that there was a Cabinet reshuffle. This will not affect the party's elections preparedness. In actual fact, Zanu-PF will be stronger because people will put more effort as they know that they will be under serious scrutiny.

"These new horses will pull us through. We are prepared for elections. It is a known fact that we as Zanu-PF usually set our differences aside to target one common enemy and come 2018, a resounding victory is assured for Zanu-PF," she said.

"We might talk of factionalism, but the fall from grace of former Vice-President Mai Mujuru never affected Zanu-PF. Those fanning factionalism will suffer the same fate like Mai Mujuru and her cabal," added Chimene.