Opinion / Columnist
Mnangagwa in a political quandary
03 Dec 2017 at 13:55hrs | Views
President Emmerson Mnangagwa is now obliged to reward the military and war veterans for their role in the removal of his predecessor, former veteran leader Robert Mugabe, it has emerged.
The first attempt to reward his backers was when President Mnangagwa violated the Constitution of Zimbabwe by appointing more than five non parliamentarians as Cabinet Ministers. Cde Mnangagwa a learned lawyer further breached the Constitution by maintaining Provincial Affairs Ministers. According to senior Government insiders, the Cabinet list was crafted by the army. The current Zimbabwean Constitution gazetted in May 2013 only provides for the establishment of eight provincial councils and two metropolitan councils. It is now five years after the supreme law came into force, still, the councils have not been set up.
The reality on the ground is that the military has captured the state in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is now under the charge of the army, whereas, Mr Mnangagwa has been reduced to a lame duck President. In a futile attempt to appear to be upholding the Constitution, the "crocodile" has reversed some of his Cabinet appointments which saw the loud mouthed Chris Mutsvangwa and a few others being dropped.
The Zimbabwean Head of State and Government is now in a political quandary on how to accommodate and reward his allies who helped him to occupy the onerous office. Currently, there is a huge number of loyalists who stood by him when his political career was at its lowest ebb.
Mnangagwa's next immediate move is to recall some Ambassadors and replace them with his loyalists mainly drawn from the military ranks and files. The Mnangagwa administration is targeting non career Ambassadors, those who have surpassed their retirement ages and those who have overstayed at their various work stations. Walter Mzembi during his short stint at the high profile Foreign Ministry observed that most of Zimbabwean Ambassadors had stayed for more than ten years at their posts.
On top of the list gleaned by this publication are Zimbabwe's Ambassador to Canada, Florence Chideya, Zimbabwe's top envoy to Kenya, Kelebert Nkomani, Thomas Mandigora, Zimbabwe's chief diplomat to Botswana and Zimbabwe's Permanent Representative to Iran, Nicholas Kitikiti who was once caught by Iranian officials with his pants down sodomising two Iranian men. An irate former President Mugabe had earlier on recalled the disgraced Ambassador on the grounds that the incident was so embarrassing. Mugabe and his former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi had conceded that their top envoy was failing to cope with the social living conditions in a conservative Iran. The recall was however suspended after embattled former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko pleaded with Mugabe for mercy. Cde Mphoko is on record of defeating the course of justice and has been implicated in a couple of confrontations with law enforcement agents in Zimbabwe.
The first attempt to reward his backers was when President Mnangagwa violated the Constitution of Zimbabwe by appointing more than five non parliamentarians as Cabinet Ministers. Cde Mnangagwa a learned lawyer further breached the Constitution by maintaining Provincial Affairs Ministers. According to senior Government insiders, the Cabinet list was crafted by the army. The current Zimbabwean Constitution gazetted in May 2013 only provides for the establishment of eight provincial councils and two metropolitan councils. It is now five years after the supreme law came into force, still, the councils have not been set up.
The reality on the ground is that the military has captured the state in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is now under the charge of the army, whereas, Mr Mnangagwa has been reduced to a lame duck President. In a futile attempt to appear to be upholding the Constitution, the "crocodile" has reversed some of his Cabinet appointments which saw the loud mouthed Chris Mutsvangwa and a few others being dropped.
The Zimbabwean Head of State and Government is now in a political quandary on how to accommodate and reward his allies who helped him to occupy the onerous office. Currently, there is a huge number of loyalists who stood by him when his political career was at its lowest ebb.
Mnangagwa's next immediate move is to recall some Ambassadors and replace them with his loyalists mainly drawn from the military ranks and files. The Mnangagwa administration is targeting non career Ambassadors, those who have surpassed their retirement ages and those who have overstayed at their various work stations. Walter Mzembi during his short stint at the high profile Foreign Ministry observed that most of Zimbabwean Ambassadors had stayed for more than ten years at their posts.
On top of the list gleaned by this publication are Zimbabwe's Ambassador to Canada, Florence Chideya, Zimbabwe's top envoy to Kenya, Kelebert Nkomani, Thomas Mandigora, Zimbabwe's chief diplomat to Botswana and Zimbabwe's Permanent Representative to Iran, Nicholas Kitikiti who was once caught by Iranian officials with his pants down sodomising two Iranian men. An irate former President Mugabe had earlier on recalled the disgraced Ambassador on the grounds that the incident was so embarrassing. Mugabe and his former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi had conceded that their top envoy was failing to cope with the social living conditions in a conservative Iran. The recall was however suspended after embattled former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko pleaded with Mugabe for mercy. Cde Mphoko is on record of defeating the course of justice and has been implicated in a couple of confrontations with law enforcement agents in Zimbabwe.
Source - Grace Moyo
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