Mutsvangwa under siege

Opposition political party leaders, corporates, captains of industry and individuals - some facing assault and contempt of court charges - have had Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Monica Mutsvangwa literally under siege.

Mutsvangwa has often been forced to work late into the evening to clear the long queues of people.

Former Mutare Mayor Brian James has also been to the new minister's office. "I wanted to impress upon the minister some infrastructural projects that I feel the city and Manicaland would benefit from, including the need for an airport for our tourism," James said.

Chimanimani Tourist Association members - Jane High, who owns Frog and Fern Cottages and Collins Sibanda, a tour guide, also met the minister last Wednesday evening in a show of commitment to listen that is inviting even longer queues of people.

This has become her daily routine as long as she has no out-of-office engagements.

But court officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she risks being abused as some criminals are trying to push her hand in interfering with the justice delivery system.

"She should not be used like a kangaroo charge-office because there are people who are now coming to our offices claiming they are being referred from her office.

"This will soon make her look like the former minister of State (Mandi Chimene) and will make her unpopular. Please, tell her," an official said.

Vendors who were interviewed claim that while she was open to their concerns her disposition was more professional than her predecessor.

"Mutsvangwa has an open-door policy but she is more professional in that she would not make declarations at the spur of the moment, making you feel that she respects whatever offices that she would take your issues to giving a better chance of being implemented," a vegetable vendor at Sakubva Market said.

Mutsvangwa has herself been on a charm offensive and openly declared that she will be engaging everyone including opposition political parties in the discharge of her duties.

At the weekend, she told a Zanu-PF inter-district meeting that while she was going to help unify her party she was not going to marginalise any group in her ministerial functions.

"When I came to this province, there was so much disgruntlement and a lot of discord . . . I was assigned to create a peaceful province so that we go into an election well prepared," Mutsvangwa said before declaring her impartiality in developmental issues.

"We will rule together with yourselves, other political parties, churches, business and others because . . . Mnangagwa is everyone's president," she said.

Mutsvangwa even encouraged the coming in of other political players as a sign of the country's mature democracy.

"We heard that there are little parties that are coming up and holding meetings in places like Sakubva and touts are attending those meetings for the free meals but then that's what we call democracy," she said.

Mutsvangwa is continuing to engage different social groups and sectors of the economy amidst an excitement that the province may have finally found a person who would bring harmony to its developmental agenda by dissolving political polarisation in government business.