Gono to 'bounce back' as finance minister

Former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor, Gideon Gono, is reportedly tipped to bounce back in government, this time as finance minister as President Robert Mugabe tries to turnaround the worsening economic situation, which has ignited a massive wave of company closures and ever-soaring unemployment.

Highly confidential information made available to the media recently by a top civil servant, suggests that Mugabe had a brief meeting with Gono upon his return from Russia, recently where the banker, who also reportedly manages the first family's finances was talked into taking over the exchequer, and that Zanu PF is ready to allocate him a senate or parliament seat, for him to be able to land the influential cabinet post. Mugabe, could better still appoint Gono, as a non-constituency senator in an internal party deal, the top official said.

Gono appeared to have been sidelined from politics, after being caught up in Zanu PF's succession wars, with his ruling party detractors having accused him of being a sympathiser of ousted vice president, Joice Mujuru's camp. However, this publication has it on good account, that the said allegations of Gono belonging to Mujuru's faction, had been peddled as falsehoods by the infamous so called Group or Gang of 4, made up of young and ambitious Zanu PF turks without any meaningful power, save for their close shave appointments into the decision-making Politburo.

Mugabe is said to be keen on making a mini-cabinet reshuffle, which is likely to see incumbent finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa, being moved to the ministry of justice, legal and parliamentary affairs to pave way for Gono. There is also likely to be purges, of one or two provincial ministers, suspected of supping with Mujuru at night behind Mugabe's back, we are told.

The ailing Zanu PF leader has reportedly tasked his now successor-in-waiting, VP Emmerson Mnangagwa with formulating the key cabinet changes, as he slowly nudges him towards takeover of the presidency.

Mnangagwa and Gono according to administration insiders, have close political relations, dating back as far as the early 80s, when the former as intelligence minister, assigned the latter to spy on white executives at National Breweries where he infiltrated the core of the company management as a tea boy in a sting operation, that eventually forced senior managers of the company to flee the country and leading to the takeover of the company by the quasi-State owned Delta Corporation.

"The President met with Gono, as soon as he returned from Moscow where he was invited to celebrate Russia's Victory Day," said the senior civil servant, who has previously worked under former finance minister, Simba Makoni.

"Gono was initially reluctant to return to politics, and rather concentrate on his farming and other businesses, but Mugabe told him he was needed to help revive the economy, as Chinamasa is finding difficulties in implementing the ZimAsset policy. Mugabe believes Gono is creative enough, to buy time for funding of the policy, while introducing measures to curb the economy from further free-fall."

The Telescope News, also understands that Gono could be appointed into office in early 2016, when Mnangagwa is tipped to become the country's second republic president. Investigations show that Mnangagwa, is aiming to introduce technocrats in the mould of Gono, to be able to navigate the nation until 2018, when the next crucial elections are due.

As previously reported herein, Mnangagwa is all but certain to become Mugabe's annointed successor, and is thought to be in favour of a trimmed cabinet and government structure, with focus on a solid homeland security regime, to keep perceived proponents of regime change in the opposition and from foreign governments at odds with Zanu PF at bay.

Gono came into the political limelight, when Mugabe appointed him central banker in November 2003, boasting that he had found a "new broom", that would sweep away the country's vicissitudes, including deeper economic chaos at the time. The banker finally stepped down at RBZ on 30 November 2013 after a 10 year term at the apex.

In March last year, Mugabe threatened action against state media journalists, who were being accused of slapping Gono with a media black-out, to render his immediate political ambitions useless, in fiery remarks made while touring Gono's chicken farm in Norton.

"And kuPress, they tell me some of them that they are not allowed to print anything that has to do with VaGono and say izvi ndezvaVaGono (this was done by Gono)," Mugabe said. "Ahhh, why not? Ndingade kumuziva iyeye anonzi ari kudaro (I would like to know who is saying that)."

"Since when did he become the enemy of the party and of government? Ah hameno (I don't know). So the Press, Press, Press, Press, if indeed you have been instructed not to write your articles and say what you have seen is a project yaVaGono (Gono's) and say only you have seen some project by a Zimbabwean, I would want you to, if you are going to write about this, and say the president, yes, visited VaGono naMai Gono kuproject yavo yekuno semaitiro andagara ndichiita gore negore VaGono ndivo vandavhakachira (I have visited Gono). No other person. If anyone says you should not have written their names, come and tell me and that person will get my boot on his backside. No and we don't want to be doing that to each other."