Opinion / Columnist
Sithembiso Nyoni not fit for the Vice Presidency
16 Jul 2021 at 06:41hrs | Views
Matebeleland North is a hive of activity as ZANU PF prepares for its Annual National People's Conference. There are people on the ground and rumours on the ground , as well as social media articles and innuendos suggesting that Sithembiso Nyoni is likely to be the next female Vice President of Zimbabwe.
The thought of a Sithembiso Nyoni Vice Presidency caused me to research and look into who Sithembiso Nyoni is and whether or not she has what it takes to become a Vice President in the result oriented New Dispensation government.
Political history
Little or nothing at all is known about Sithembiso Nyoni's political history or activism. Nyoni did not participate in the liberation struggle and she did not belong to the structures of ZAPU or ZANU.
Sithembiso Nyoni is an academic who holds a Masters degree which she studied and attained while others were in the trenches fighting to liberate Zimbabwe. It has been suggested that Sithembiso Nyoni belonged to the United African National Council (UANC), led by the Methodist bishop Abel Muzorewa.
Sources have suggested that when Bishop Abel Muzorewa and Nkomo went their separate ways , Sithembiso Nyoni chose to stand with Abel Muzorewa and that is how she ended up in the United Kingdom before independence. The truth of the matter is that Sithembiso Nyoni does not hold a clear political track record pre- independence.
Post independence Sithembiso Nyoni founded an NGO known as the Organization of Rural Associations (ORAP) with the help and funding of the British intelligence community.
Their intention being to have access to information and structures at grassroot level. Nyoni structured ORAP in a manner that allows it to infiltrate and operate structures in Matebeleland North, Matebeleland South, Midlands and Bulawayo.
Sithembiso Nyoni founded ORAP and then joined political structures so that she could have the political clout to protect the ORAP project. It is not clear as to what ORAP's role was during the Gukurahundi period.
Fast forward to post Gukurahundi , Sithembiso Nyoni emerges as a politician under the ZAPU quota. How and when she joined ZAPU or got to the forefront remains shrouded in mystery unlike Jane Ngwenya , Thenjiwe Lesabe, Judith Ncube and others who hold clear political records.
Performance in Government
Sithembiso Nyoni has served mostly as Minister responsible for Small to Medium Enterprises. She held this position even though she never operated a successful business.
The lack of business acumen and experience reared its head during her tenure as Minister SMEs. The SME ministry is a crucial employment creator and economic game changer with the right minister in charge.
Small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent over 90 per cent of the business population, 60-70% of employment and 55% of GDP in developed economies. SMEs therefore do not just significantly contribute to the economy – they ARE the economy.
The diversity and importance of SMEs is celebrated by the United Nations, the International Council for Small Business and IFAC as part of the UN Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (#MSMEDay19) on June 27.
SMEs are an important part of achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, for example to ‘promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all' (goal 8) and to ‘build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation' (goal 9). SMEs are critical to achieving the SDGs.
Under Sithembiso Nyoni's definition of SMEs is vendors. Her ministry played a pivotal role in littering our streets with unlicenced and unregulated vendors. The menace of vendors falls squarely on Sithembiso Nyoni's shoulders as she drove the vendor Agenda instead of driving the SME agenda.
SEDCO was looted under the Nyoni era , and it did not help build small businesses. Entrepreneurs like Philip Mataranyika , Nigel Chanakira , Philip Chiyangwa had to go it alone and penetrate industries without the help of the SME ministry.
With a switched on Minister of SMEs Zimbabwe would be in a better economic position.
It is sad that some are now touting the failed minister as Vice President material.
Nyoni would do well serving on a board of trustees for an international NGO with her friends such as Lovemore Moyo , Gabuza and several others from the MDC, Oxfam , and other such entities.
Nyoni is not fit to serve as Vice president and it would be best if people like Musa Ncube stopped lying to the people of Matebeleland North claiming that Presidnet ED Mnangagwa is going to appoint Sithembiso Nyoni as VP at Conference.
Conference is not an elective organ and the appointing authority is President ED Mnangagwa who will appoint the best candidate at the most suitable time.
Terror Ngwenya
Political Analyst
Matebeleland South
The thought of a Sithembiso Nyoni Vice Presidency caused me to research and look into who Sithembiso Nyoni is and whether or not she has what it takes to become a Vice President in the result oriented New Dispensation government.
Political history
Little or nothing at all is known about Sithembiso Nyoni's political history or activism. Nyoni did not participate in the liberation struggle and she did not belong to the structures of ZAPU or ZANU.
Sithembiso Nyoni is an academic who holds a Masters degree which she studied and attained while others were in the trenches fighting to liberate Zimbabwe. It has been suggested that Sithembiso Nyoni belonged to the United African National Council (UANC), led by the Methodist bishop Abel Muzorewa.
Sources have suggested that when Bishop Abel Muzorewa and Nkomo went their separate ways , Sithembiso Nyoni chose to stand with Abel Muzorewa and that is how she ended up in the United Kingdom before independence. The truth of the matter is that Sithembiso Nyoni does not hold a clear political track record pre- independence.
Post independence Sithembiso Nyoni founded an NGO known as the Organization of Rural Associations (ORAP) with the help and funding of the British intelligence community.
Their intention being to have access to information and structures at grassroot level. Nyoni structured ORAP in a manner that allows it to infiltrate and operate structures in Matebeleland North, Matebeleland South, Midlands and Bulawayo.
Sithembiso Nyoni founded ORAP and then joined political structures so that she could have the political clout to protect the ORAP project. It is not clear as to what ORAP's role was during the Gukurahundi period.
Fast forward to post Gukurahundi , Sithembiso Nyoni emerges as a politician under the ZAPU quota. How and when she joined ZAPU or got to the forefront remains shrouded in mystery unlike Jane Ngwenya , Thenjiwe Lesabe, Judith Ncube and others who hold clear political records.
Performance in Government
Sithembiso Nyoni has served mostly as Minister responsible for Small to Medium Enterprises. She held this position even though she never operated a successful business.
Small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent over 90 per cent of the business population, 60-70% of employment and 55% of GDP in developed economies. SMEs therefore do not just significantly contribute to the economy – they ARE the economy.
The diversity and importance of SMEs is celebrated by the United Nations, the International Council for Small Business and IFAC as part of the UN Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (#MSMEDay19) on June 27.
SMEs are an important part of achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, for example to ‘promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all' (goal 8) and to ‘build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation' (goal 9). SMEs are critical to achieving the SDGs.
Under Sithembiso Nyoni's definition of SMEs is vendors. Her ministry played a pivotal role in littering our streets with unlicenced and unregulated vendors. The menace of vendors falls squarely on Sithembiso Nyoni's shoulders as she drove the vendor Agenda instead of driving the SME agenda.
SEDCO was looted under the Nyoni era , and it did not help build small businesses. Entrepreneurs like Philip Mataranyika , Nigel Chanakira , Philip Chiyangwa had to go it alone and penetrate industries without the help of the SME ministry.
With a switched on Minister of SMEs Zimbabwe would be in a better economic position.
It is sad that some are now touting the failed minister as Vice President material.
Nyoni would do well serving on a board of trustees for an international NGO with her friends such as Lovemore Moyo , Gabuza and several others from the MDC, Oxfam , and other such entities.
Nyoni is not fit to serve as Vice president and it would be best if people like Musa Ncube stopped lying to the people of Matebeleland North claiming that Presidnet ED Mnangagwa is going to appoint Sithembiso Nyoni as VP at Conference.
Conference is not an elective organ and the appointing authority is President ED Mnangagwa who will appoint the best candidate at the most suitable time.
Terror Ngwenya
Political Analyst
Matebeleland South
Source - Terror Ngwenya
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