Mugabe's nephew guns for Chinamasa

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe's nephew, Patrick Zhuwao, has issued a thinly-veiled attack on fellow Cabinet ministers - particularly Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa and other senior government officials - warning them that they risked being fired for trying to reduce the bloated civil service and lobbying for foreign direct investment (FDI).

Speaking at a familiarisation tour of Mutare yesterday, Zhuwao, who was recently appointed Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment minister, said thousands of Zanu-PF youths would lose jobs if plans to cut the civil service went ahead.

"Some are saying we are going to fire youth officers. Who do you think you can fire? It might be you who will go home first. If it is an MP who is saying that, then we should go and sit down with him," he said.

Chinamasa has repeatedly raised concern over government's huge wage bill, describing it as unsustainable, as it swallowed 83% of government revenue.

Zhuwao, whose political fortunes appear to be rising, said the on-going calls for injection of FDI were against Zanu-PF's maligned indigenisation policy.

He also said moves to reduce the civil service would disadvantage thousands of Zanu-PF youths, a majority of whom were employed as constituency youth officers, with their salaries paid by the taxpayers.