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Mugabe to reshuffle cabinet by end of winter - Mutodi
04 Jul 2016 at 04:34hrs | Views
Zanu PF controversial youth member Energy Mutodi has claimed that President Robert Mugabe is expected to reshuffle his cabinet by end of winter as the country faces serious economic crisis and civil unrest
"Veteran Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is expected to reshuffle his before the end of the winter season, the third time he will be doing so since re-election to office in 2013," he posted on his Facebook wall.
"In December 2014, Mugabe re-organized his cabinet, flushing out his deputy Joice Mujuru and several ministers that were being accused of blocking his wife Grace's ambitions to enter into national politics and grab an influential Women's League top post."
Mutodi said Mujuru who has since formed her own political party to oppose Mugabe in future elections later faced allegations of plotting to overthrow the president through a military coup, allegations of which she vehemently denied.
"Among those who were fired alongside with her included Didymus Mutasa who was Intelligence minister, Nicholas Goche who worked as Labour minister, Dzikamai Mavhaire who was Energy minister, Webester Shamu who was ICT minister, Olivia Muchena who was Higher Education minister, Rugare Gumbo who worked as Party spokesperson and several other deputy ministers including Tongai Muzenda, son of Zimbabwe's most revered former deputy President Simon Vengesai Muzenda," he said.
"There were also nine provincial chairpersons who lost their jobs on allegations that they were working with Mujuru to pass a surprise vote at the December 2014 Congress that would see Mugabe losing his party First Secretary post to Mujuru, marking an end to Mugabe's long political history."
Mutodi said notable among the fired chairpersons were Themba Mliswa who was Mashonaland West chairman and multi-millionaire businessman Ray Kaukonde who was Mashonaland East chairman.
He said they were easily identified as "Gamatox", a term coined by Didymus Mutasa as he was suggesting to Mugabe that certain divisive elements in the party that Mugabe had described as "weevils" needed to be gamatoxed out of the party. Gamatox is a banned poison.
"Mutasa was referring to Jonathan Moyo, a propagandist and flip flop political scientist in Zanu PF who was agitating for Mujuru to be axed from her post as Vice President and be replaced by her arc-rival Emmerson Mnangagwa," Mutodi said.
"On December 10 2014, Mujuru was finally ejected from her government and party posts and was replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, a lawyer and experienced justice, defence and intelligence specialist in Mugabe's long iron fist rule. Mnangagwa was being rewarded for his many years of loyalty and patience as well as for crafting party laws that would allow Mugabe to become the only "one center of power" with powers to appoint his deputies and all Politiburo members without need for elections."
He said Mugabe, who was expected to appoint either Simon Khaya Moyo or Kembo Mohadi to the second Vice President post surprisingly appointed little known Phelekezela Mphoko who at the time was working as Zimbabwean ambassador to South Africa.
"Mphoko immediately checked into a five-star city hotel and has refused to vacate his presidential suite, demanding that the state give him an up-market house perhaps the same or even more lucrative than that of his boss," Mutodi said.
"He has refused several houses offered to him saying they do not suit his status. His long hotel stay at the expense of the state has generated a lot of controversy and unrests as ordinary people protest against his unquenchable thirst for good hotel life without regard that he is only an appointee and must lead by example considering that millions of Zimbabweans that he leads as Vice President live on less than a dollar a day, cannot send children to school, have no food and cannot afford hospital charges and even decent burials."
"Mugabe is expected to replace Mphoko with Eunice Sandi Moyo in the latest planned cabinet reshuffle, a development that will boost his waning public support," he added.
"Women have been campaigning for one of the Vice President posts to be filled by a woman and it looks like the President has finally bowed down to pressure from the party's women's league that is being led by his wife."
Mutodi claimed that the clause allowing one of the VP posts to be mandatorily occupied by a woman was suspended in December 2014, to facilitate Mnangagwa's ascendancy.
"Although Mugabe had hinted that he would not touch his presidium until congress in 2019, the noise that Mphoko's hotel stay has generated may be forcing him to act. In another big decision, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa will be reassigned to the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs ministry currently being administered by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa; leaving economic cooperation talks with the IMF and World Bank unfinished," he said.
"Gideon Gono, Luxton Zembe and Lyn Mukonoweshuro are being considered to take over from Chinamasa according to sources. Mugabe will use his meeting with the Masvingo provincial executive yesterday to determine the fate of Masvingo resident minister Shuvai Mahofa and her close ally Josiah Hungwe who occupies a useless Psychomotor Ministry."
The outspoken politician said those expected to be axed from cabinet include Obert Mpofu, Paul Mavhima, Jorum Gumbo and Undenge whose corrupt activities have recently been revealed by the media. He said Makhosini Hlongwane who is currently Sports minister will be transferred to the Transport ministry with a much bigger responsibility.
"Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere will be untouched while Kudzai and Shadreck Chipanga are expected to get cabinet posts. Webester Shamu and Tendai Savanhu might come back," he said.
"President Mugabe might be trying to reward Kudzai for his role in the million man march where youths reaffirmed their support for him to stand again as presidential candidate for the ruling party in elections due in 2018. President Mugabe's administration is currently facing a two-front war, in politics as well as on the economic front."
He said coalition that may emerge between a Zimbabwe People's First party being led by Mugabe's former deputy Mujuru, and Morgan Tsvangirai's MDCT has made the party's success in future elections uncertain.
"In order to stop the coalition from wrecking havoc to his party structures and expose the party to electoral defeat, Mugabe needs to unite his party by not being seen to be favoring one faction against another," he said.
"Cabinet appointments and ability to fire without consequence are his major sources of power and influence over his heavily divided party. Meanwhile, government is struggling to pay its workers salaries and riots are being reported countrywide as economic hardships take toll. The situation can turn for the worse if no policy shifts and other interventions are put in place."
"Veteran Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is expected to reshuffle his before the end of the winter season, the third time he will be doing so since re-election to office in 2013," he posted on his Facebook wall.
"In December 2014, Mugabe re-organized his cabinet, flushing out his deputy Joice Mujuru and several ministers that were being accused of blocking his wife Grace's ambitions to enter into national politics and grab an influential Women's League top post."
Mutodi said Mujuru who has since formed her own political party to oppose Mugabe in future elections later faced allegations of plotting to overthrow the president through a military coup, allegations of which she vehemently denied.
"Among those who were fired alongside with her included Didymus Mutasa who was Intelligence minister, Nicholas Goche who worked as Labour minister, Dzikamai Mavhaire who was Energy minister, Webester Shamu who was ICT minister, Olivia Muchena who was Higher Education minister, Rugare Gumbo who worked as Party spokesperson and several other deputy ministers including Tongai Muzenda, son of Zimbabwe's most revered former deputy President Simon Vengesai Muzenda," he said.
"There were also nine provincial chairpersons who lost their jobs on allegations that they were working with Mujuru to pass a surprise vote at the December 2014 Congress that would see Mugabe losing his party First Secretary post to Mujuru, marking an end to Mugabe's long political history."
Mutodi said notable among the fired chairpersons were Themba Mliswa who was Mashonaland West chairman and multi-millionaire businessman Ray Kaukonde who was Mashonaland East chairman.
He said they were easily identified as "Gamatox", a term coined by Didymus Mutasa as he was suggesting to Mugabe that certain divisive elements in the party that Mugabe had described as "weevils" needed to be gamatoxed out of the party. Gamatox is a banned poison.
"Mutasa was referring to Jonathan Moyo, a propagandist and flip flop political scientist in Zanu PF who was agitating for Mujuru to be axed from her post as Vice President and be replaced by her arc-rival Emmerson Mnangagwa," Mutodi said.
"On December 10 2014, Mujuru was finally ejected from her government and party posts and was replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, a lawyer and experienced justice, defence and intelligence specialist in Mugabe's long iron fist rule. Mnangagwa was being rewarded for his many years of loyalty and patience as well as for crafting party laws that would allow Mugabe to become the only "one center of power" with powers to appoint his deputies and all Politiburo members without need for elections."
He said Mugabe, who was expected to appoint either Simon Khaya Moyo or Kembo Mohadi to the second Vice President post surprisingly appointed little known Phelekezela Mphoko who at the time was working as Zimbabwean ambassador to South Africa.
"Mphoko immediately checked into a five-star city hotel and has refused to vacate his presidential suite, demanding that the state give him an up-market house perhaps the same or even more lucrative than that of his boss," Mutodi said.
"He has refused several houses offered to him saying they do not suit his status. His long hotel stay at the expense of the state has generated a lot of controversy and unrests as ordinary people protest against his unquenchable thirst for good hotel life without regard that he is only an appointee and must lead by example considering that millions of Zimbabweans that he leads as Vice President live on less than a dollar a day, cannot send children to school, have no food and cannot afford hospital charges and even decent burials."
"Mugabe is expected to replace Mphoko with Eunice Sandi Moyo in the latest planned cabinet reshuffle, a development that will boost his waning public support," he added.
"Women have been campaigning for one of the Vice President posts to be filled by a woman and it looks like the President has finally bowed down to pressure from the party's women's league that is being led by his wife."
Mutodi claimed that the clause allowing one of the VP posts to be mandatorily occupied by a woman was suspended in December 2014, to facilitate Mnangagwa's ascendancy.
"Although Mugabe had hinted that he would not touch his presidium until congress in 2019, the noise that Mphoko's hotel stay has generated may be forcing him to act. In another big decision, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa will be reassigned to the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs ministry currently being administered by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa; leaving economic cooperation talks with the IMF and World Bank unfinished," he said.
"Gideon Gono, Luxton Zembe and Lyn Mukonoweshuro are being considered to take over from Chinamasa according to sources. Mugabe will use his meeting with the Masvingo provincial executive yesterday to determine the fate of Masvingo resident minister Shuvai Mahofa and her close ally Josiah Hungwe who occupies a useless Psychomotor Ministry."
The outspoken politician said those expected to be axed from cabinet include Obert Mpofu, Paul Mavhima, Jorum Gumbo and Undenge whose corrupt activities have recently been revealed by the media. He said Makhosini Hlongwane who is currently Sports minister will be transferred to the Transport ministry with a much bigger responsibility.
"Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere will be untouched while Kudzai and Shadreck Chipanga are expected to get cabinet posts. Webester Shamu and Tendai Savanhu might come back," he said.
"President Mugabe might be trying to reward Kudzai for his role in the million man march where youths reaffirmed their support for him to stand again as presidential candidate for the ruling party in elections due in 2018. President Mugabe's administration is currently facing a two-front war, in politics as well as on the economic front."
He said coalition that may emerge between a Zimbabwe People's First party being led by Mugabe's former deputy Mujuru, and Morgan Tsvangirai's MDCT has made the party's success in future elections uncertain.
"In order to stop the coalition from wrecking havoc to his party structures and expose the party to electoral defeat, Mugabe needs to unite his party by not being seen to be favoring one faction against another," he said.
"Cabinet appointments and ability to fire without consequence are his major sources of power and influence over his heavily divided party. Meanwhile, government is struggling to pay its workers salaries and riots are being reported countrywide as economic hardships take toll. The situation can turn for the worse if no policy shifts and other interventions are put in place."
Source - Byo24News
