Mohadi bounces back as Zimbabwe's second Vice President

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa, who was unanimously re-elected as First Secretary of Zanu-PF on Friday at the party's 7th National People's Congress, yesterday reappointed Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi as Second Secretaries of the ruling party.

Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri was also reappointed National Chairperson, completing the party's four-member Presidium.

The President reappointed four other Politburo members - Cdes Obert Mpofu (Secretary for Administration), Patrick Chinamasa (Secretary for Finance), Mike Bimha (National Political Commissar) and Lovemore Matuke (Secretary for Security).

He, however, revealed that further appointments will be made once the current restructuring process of the Politburo has been completed.

"I proceed to nominate a small team in the Politburo because we are busy restructuring the departments in the Politburo, but for purposes of work to be done, I will announce a few members of the Politburo. The others I will announce after we finish restructuring the Politburo," he told Congress delegates.

Turning to the ruling party's wings, President Mnangagwa re-appointed Mabel Chinomona as Secretary of the Women's League, while Douglas Mahiya was appointed Secretary of the recently established War Veterans' League.

Consultations to appoint Secretary for the Youth League are still ongoing.

"For now, I am only appointing the head of the Women's League and head of the War Veterans' League. The head of the Youth League will be announced later; we are still consulting …

"Chinomona comes back as the head of the Women's League and Mahiya is the head of the War Veterans' League," said President Mnangagwa.

In line with the party's constitution, Zanu-PF's First Secretary also appointed 10 new Central Committee members that included former ZANU Ndonga leader Wilson Khumbula.

The nine other appointees are Ambassador Zenzo Simbi (Bulawayo), Michael Madanha (Mashonaland East), Joseph Chirongoma (Mashonaland West), Veronica Munkuli (Matabeleland North), Miriam Chikukwa (Harare), Paul Mangwana (Masvingo), Abednico Ncube (Matabeleland South), Emmanuel Fundira (Midlands) and Angeline Tongogara (Mashonaland Central).

In an interview following his appointment, Khumbula said President Mnangagwa is an inclusive leader.

"I want to thank President Mnangagwa for my appointment," he said.

"It is not his wisdom or wisdom from studying books, but from God. He is fixing a lot of things in this country and that can only come from God. We should now support his good works for the country to move forward."

The newly constituted Central Committee is made up of youthful cadres and tried-and-tested party stalwarts.

Muchinguri said President Mnangagwa's appointments had been done according to the party's Constitution.

"According to Article 8 Subsection 39, there shall be a Politburo and it further states that the President and First Secretary at his discretion shall appoint members to the Politburo from the CC (Central Committee) members who will have been elected," she said.

"We witnessed the appointment of the few Politburo members and that process will continue."

She also said President Mnangagwa's endorsement by the Congress was confirmation of affirmations by the party's various organs.

"The most important business of this conference was to elect the President and the First Secretary of Zanu-PF; in other words, confirming the elections that took place in the provinces. It wasn't just the provinces, even the organs, associations and affiliates also elected His Excellency," she said.

President Mnangagwa was also nominated as the party's sole candidate for the 2023 Harmonised Elections.

The Congress, which ended yesterday, ran under the theme "Building a Prosperous Zimbabwe, Leaving No One and No Place Behind."