Zimbabwean

Written by Students Solidarity Trust

Friday, 14 January 2011

A tussle pitting the Minister of higher education DR Stan Mudenge (Pictured) and Minister of finance Tendai Biti has ensued over the latter’s decision to reintroduce the grants and loans scheme. Announcing the 2011 budget on November 25, Minister Biti said that government in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Allied Banking Group ZABG was reintroducing the grants and loans. Government would put in 15 million dollars whilst the bank was to chip in with an equivalent amount. This means that under Minister Biti’s plan, students were going to have 30 million dollars for loans and grants in 2011.

However, expressions of disquiet have been coming from the ministry of higher education. First, it was the permanent secretary in the ministry, Dr Washington Mbizvo who regretted the lack of consultation by the minister of finance before coming up with his figures. Testifying to the parliamentary committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology he said that the money was not enough and there was already a deficit from the current cadetship scheme of 13 million dollars. He therefore suggested that if the 15 million was to come from government, it would first cover the deficit before anything else. His boss Dr Stan Mudenge echoed the same sentiments at a graduation ceremony also accusing the minister of finance for not consulting before the minister announced his budget. For Dr Mudenge, the ministry requires 100 million dollars for tuition only without even factoring in accommodation.

On February 13, the government of national unity commemorates its second year and for students, the last two years have not been good at all. The discord and lack of rapport from the two ministries only exposes students and puts them in a hard position. The Students Solidarity Trust notes with sadness the failure by government to rectify the problems bedevilling the higher education ministry and the lack of initiatives by the ministry officials to alleviate the plight of students. Faced by a similar plight the Minister of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart came up with the idea of an Education Transition Fund that has up to date raised more than 50 million dollars. Although Senator Coltart still faces an uphill task in resuscitating his ministry and returning it to its former glory, tangible and visible efforts are being seen. In contrast, Mnister Mudenge has been absent, silent and curt to Minister Biti yet his ministry has not been active in alleviating the plight of students.

The cadetship scheme has left students in a far worse condition due to the strict conditionalities attached to it. Reports of students also being unable to access the facility abound with several students coming to the SST for assistance alleging that they have not been able to access funds from the scheme. Government through Mudenge’s Ministry should urgently look at ways to alleviate the plight of the students. An educated nation is a prosperous nation and more resources, coherence and attention should be dedicated to this endeavour.

Zimbabwe Independent

14 January 2011

Paidamoyo Muzulu

LOVE him or hate him, Welshman Ncube is an astute and shrewd boardroom planner whose ascendancy to the throne of his MDC faction uncontested at the party’s third   congress last week proves that and more.

His machinations in overcoming a potential split in the party on the eve of the congress proved his tactical prowess.

When everything else looked so routine with barely 24 hours to the congress — which would transform him from kingmaker to king — disgruntled party members led by party chairman Joubert Mudzumwe attempted a palace putsch.

Mudzumwe and cohorts held a press conference on Friday “calling off” the congress until after issues they raised in a petition sent to Ncube, then secretary-general, were satisfactorily solved. It was a gamble. Welshman remained cool and acted decisively, thanks to Arthur Mutambara’s “support”.

The plotters raised issues surrounding what they termed the failure by Ncube to hold an annual national conference, or cause the party’s finances to be audited and the opaque manner in which disciplinary issues were handled in the party.

Ncube brushed them aside — as a bunch of frustrated leaders who had failed to gain any nominations for senior party position at the 3rd congress.

Mutambara played the “statesman card” and stayed above the fray while Ncube had a free run to the top.

Since the October 2005 split from the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC faction, Ncube has steadily built up his profile within the party and nation.

Ncube used his position as the party’s chief negotiator of the Global Political Agreement and the resultant position of minister to build his profile and access the majority of the party members nationally. His party position then as secretary-general, made it easier for him to plan his next big move without much consultation with those likely to oppose his rise to the top.

As the congress drew closer, Ncube had all the influential men and women in the party in his camp. He had Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga, Edwin Mushoriwa, Goodrich Chimbaira, Miriam Mushayi, Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, Paul Themba-Nyathi and David Coltart, the party’s bigwigs, in his corner.

Mutambara, another strategist par excellence albeit with little political experience, read the writing on the wall. He knew it was time to leave. A strategist knows when to fight and when to walk away and fight another day. The numbers were with Ncube and any fight would have been futile.

Once his plan was set, Ncube realised he had limited positions to give to his supporters and creatively suggested amendments to the party’s constitution to create more portfolios. The party passed the resolution to create six new portfolios and a council of elders for the party. The game was over.

Miriam Mushayi, the new director of planning and implementation, confirmed as much when she said: “We solved the problems amicably and resolved to get positions by consensus. That is why people agreed not to contest each other.”

To that end, there was no contest for the seven party top positions namely, president, deputy president, chairman, deputy chairman, secretary-general, deputy secretary-general, treasurer-general and the deputy treasurer-general.

Ncube’s acceptance speech was couched in the language of a visionary national leader. He thanked his predecessor Mutambara for the way he had led the party and his influence and role in the inclusive government and the party’s support for him to land the presidency before promising to stay the course Mutambara had set for the party.

To Mutambara and more importantly to himself, he said: “Take heart from the abuse you have taken from our enemies, the media who abuse you, in that there is a great deal of truth in the words of Winston Churchill: — ‘The true measure of leadership is the animosity among your enemies to you’”.

What remains to be seen is how well he holds on to the power he has secured.

Financial Gazette

Njabulo Ncube, Assistant Editor

13 January 2011

ENTER Mutambara . . . exit Mutambara. That is the astounding tale of a typically short political history that Arthur Mutambara had as leader of the smaller faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) otherwise known as the MDC-M.
His entrance was as dramatic as his exit. After the party’s congress of January 8 to 9, 2011 it is imperative to look at the transpirations in the party and the possible capacity in the new leadership to steer it as an effective democracy-seeking institution.
The coming in of  Mutambara in 2007 to lead the party was somehow thespian though we never really questioned the political motive behind such grandiosity. The nature of African politics has always had a streamlined context, which is defined by the grassroots. Africa’s political terrain is graced by the inevitable need to inculcate the preferences of the grassroots if any party or entity is to be of any substance and relevance.
Mutambara should have sensed that any meteoric rise to leadership without any transmission or reference from the grassroots is both superficial and Machiavellian. In the circumstances that led to his rise, Welshman Ncube, his secretary-general then was at the centre of the transaction.
Being so, Mutambara should have also realised that the days of “king-makers” in African politics are quickly expiring. The real and sustainable “king-makers” are the toiling grassroots of the party and their extended functionaries thereof.
No matter how brilliant one is, that endorsement by the grassroots is critical for ascendancy. Individuals never make sustainable democratic centres rather they are the temptation upon which dictatorships always evolve out of.
The irony today in the MDC-M is that the “king-maker” who was in 2006 has now become the “king” himself.
There is a pinch of suspicion that Mutambara was just a stop-gap measure in the unfolding theatre of leadership conception in the party. Many still wonder if Ncube never had any flirtation with the possibility of landing the presidency of the party after the iniquitous split of the mainstream MDC in 2005.
If so could it then have been nonstrategic to immediately pounce on the position given that the emergent split had been blamed on Ncube’s perceived craving for power?
The proponents for this conviction therefore view Mutambara’s rise to presidency as a meticulously calculated move intended to divert attention from the immediate power desires of Ncube. In that regard, Mutambara was to be the pawn that would stop-gap while the real power conveyance would be given time to maturate away from the suspicion of the watching eyes.
Ncube’s desire for the presidency, which he only openly expressed two months before Sunday’s City Sport Centre congress is therefore seen by many to have been harboured since the split of 2005, that is, if it wasn’t the motive behind the intention of the said split. There are just too many political permutations around the MDC-M trajectory.
One certain thing, however, has been the pungency for self-disintegration in the MDC-M.
Immediately after the two MDC parties had split in 2005, the MDC-M portion was faced with some defections to the MDC-T. The likes of Gift Chimanikire who had actually been one of the centres of the split turned back and joined the MDC-T. This was then followed up in 2009 by the topical Job Sikhala splinter that subsequently resulted in the formation of yet another MDC shade; the MDC 99.
In fact behind that split was the suspension of a legion of MDC-M leaders including Abedinico Bhebhe, Njabuliso Mguni, Sikhala, Nor-man Mpofu, Alex Goosen and Gift Nyandoro.
In the run-up to the January 2011 congress yet another split transpired with the national chairman Joubert Mu-dzumwe leading a mutiny against the congress that elevated Ncube into presidency. Others who joined him were Morgan Chan-gamire, Tsitsi Danga-rembga and Nom-alanga Ncube. There was also the glaring non attendance by some senior MDC-M officials such as David Coltart and Trudy Stevenson at the 2011 congress over the weekend.
Though they may have had various reasons for not attending the congress, it is the compounded perception that critically shifts indications away from normalcy.
Communication from MDC-M had earlier hinted at a crowd of about 5 000 at the congress only for just about     1 000 to attend. Could this shrinkage be an indication of the internal bickering in the party or is it mere followership deficiency? There is just too much porous ground in the MDC-M and this needs to be riveted if any formidable results are to be obtained in the future.
As Ncube takes over the reins, it is the desire of any democracy-embracing Zimbabwean that there be an increase in vibrant and robust political parties in the country.
This is necessary for multi-party democracy. However, in that regard there are some pointers that the party needs to learn from its short but incident-filled history. Firstly, Ncube must not be tempted to create himself into a political circumstance that then becomes the lifeblood of the party.
For some time there has been that sublime and at times remote hand of Ncube in many of the party’s activities, decisions, policies and positions.
Rather than the institutionalisation of the party’s entity there has been its personification around his individuality. The party must also build a grass roots base upon which all foundational substance originate from. The theatrics of leadership by invitation must never again be intimated even if it is for the sake of whatever strategy.
There is a desperate need for the party to have an identified and mature political ideology. Zimbabweans are tired of parties that are solely founded and then die on the “remove-Mugabe” ideology without a knack for the Afro-centric developmental capacity that our battered nation so desires.
Zimbabwe will be a better democracy only if parties like MDC-M are able to find their potency and develop into formidable and punch-absorbing democratic parties. The current and future landscape of our politics require democratic alternatives and the more varied the choices people have the more enhanced our democracy becomes.
For Arthur Mutambara, we offer words of encouragement.
You may have come into a political fray that was as cruel as much as it was opportunistic. Your future in politics is not done our dear brother as long as the lessons you have learnt are taken seriously.
The Zimbabwe that we are building for the future will definitely require your intellect, courage, pan African spirit, professionalism, commitment and your orientation for results.
But for now let the political terrain preserve you until maturity.

Zimbabwean

By Paul Ndlovu

Wednesday, 12 January 2011

BULAWAYO – The government freeze on recruitment of civil servants in various ministries will persist this year.

This comes amid reports that the freeze was denting the education delivery system through the hiring of cheap labour in the form of temporary teachers, expected to begin this week. (Pictured: David Coltart)

The continued freeze also comes against a background of a critical shortage of nurses in the country’s big hospitals and clinics in remote areas.

Ministry of Public Service Deputy Minister, Andrew Langa, said the government was working on a limited budget, hence the need to continue with the freeze.

“The government’s position is clear. We are working on a very limited budget that does not allow us to recruit as we may want in any sector. We have been struggling to pay civil servants,” he said.

He said his ministry was aware of the effects of the freeze in various critical sectors.

“We are aware of the effects of the recruitment freeze. Some clinics and hospitals have a shortage of nurses while schools have always been facing the same predicament and we are working to rectify that. Government will continue to employ in all the critical areas such as that of health. We are engaging the services of temporary teachers at the beginning of the schools’ first term as we seek to increase staff compliment in the country’s schools,” he added.

Langa reiterated that budgetary constraints were the main reason why the government had effected the freeze on recruitment as the available resources were not enough to sustain the salary bill.

Education Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Senator David Coltart said although the freeze’s effects were once strongly felt in the education sector they were relieved after they were allowed to engage teachers although there were areas that still needed staff compliment.

“The freeze’s effects were once felt in the education sector, but last year the ministry managed to engage a total of 15 000 teachers countrywide. So as we speak the freeze now has limited effects, although there are areas that still need attention especially in rural areas,” he said.

He however could not be drawn into giving the number of qualified teachers that are required in schools amid confirmed reports that the country was labouring under heavy shortage of Mathematics and Science teachers.

The Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Henry Madzorera, confirmed that there were some clinics and hospitals with a shortage of nurses.

He however said the shortage was not only linked to the freeze but to lack of motivation, with nurses reluctant to go and work in remote areas with some of them preferring to leave the country.

“The issue is not that there are no nurses in the country but they are reluctant to be deployed to certain areas and the headache remains with us on how we can get them to go and work there with the limited resources that we have. We have new clinics and hospitals that have been constructed and need staff, so the need for us to apply was just inevitable. We have not yet got the response from the relevant ministries though,” said Madzorera.

VOA

By Peta Thornycroft

January 10, 2011

When Zimbabwe schools re-open Tuesday, younger scholars will find they have text books for the first time in many years.  A record 13 million text books are being delivered to Zimbabwe’s primary schools.

Education minister David Coltart said the massive text-book order, a record for Zimbabwe, was made possible by donations, mainly from Scandinavian countries and Germany.  The contract for printing the books was carried out in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Coltart said in 2011 he will invite along with Unicef tenders for text books for six core subjects in secondary schools.  He says the books will be distributed in the course of 2011.

There are more than 7,000 schools in Zimbabwe, and Coltart says many of them have dilapidated infrastructure.  He praised Finance Minister Tendai Biti who awarded the education sector 24 percent of the recent national budget, the highest percentage for any sector.

Biti is a member of the Movement for Democratic Change.  Coltart is a member of the smaller MDC faction.  The education minister said his ministry received $469-million, with $432-million for salaries, leaving little to repair schools or provide teaching materials.

Since the inclusive government came to power nearly two years ago, Coltart said the education ministry has rehired 15,000 teachers.

Zimbabwe used to have one of the best education sectors in Africa.  Last year the United Nations said Zimbabwe had a 96-percent literacy rate, a statistic questioned by Coltart.

Zimbabwe’s renowned former education minister Fay Chung says the literacy rate will only be accurately measured in a few years time and will reflect the collapse of education in the past decade. “Literacy is something that measures the past, because you are looking at people who left school four of five years ago,” Chung said. “It does not measure the exact present.”

Coltart is in the United Kingdom meeting key British ministers.  He said that Britain wants to assist Zimbabwe’s children, but needs reassurance that any funds donated to the education sector would not be diverted to youth militias or other organizations that promote tyranny.

Standard

9 January 2011

Professor Arthur Mutambara has been booted out of the MDC leadership and as was expected Professor Welshman Ncube has been voted in as the president of the smaller formation of the MDC at the party’s congress yesterday.

Ncube’s ascendency had been widely expected following a flurry of nominations and former party leader, Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara’s decision to pull out of the race.

Addressing delegates Mutambara said the party deserved more credit than it was getting as it was virtually the one that had held the inclusive government together when it was faced with collapse.

Despite losing his presidency, Mutambara said he would work harder than anyone to hold the party together.

“Even without a position, I will be a soldier in the party,” he said.

“We must work hard to maintain this very important party.”

Mutambara, who sat next to Ncube throughout the first day of the two day congress, acknowledged receiving a petition from some party members, saying their concerns must be addressed and must not be allowed to divide the party.

The petition was drawn up by party members led by outgoing national chairman, Joubert Mudzumwe.

Mudzumwe led an ill-fated rebellion that called for Mutambara to remain as party president, while deputy speaker of parliament, Nomalanga Khumalo was to be the deputy.

Khumalo did not attend the congress, which was reportedly attended by 4 250 delegates, with some party members claiming that she was on the verge of defecting to the formation led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mudzumwe had banked on Mutambara not attending congress and in the process lend credence to his claims that the congress was unconstitutional and illegitimate.

In his speech Mutambara praised his party for being the only one in Zimbabwe to have a transparent change of leadership.

“Before the national council met (last December), I said I was not standing for any position because I believe in leadership renewal and it is good for our party democracy,” he said to a standing ovation.

As The Standard reported last July, the congress adopted a raft of constitutional changes, mainly the setting up of a Council of Elders and changing of the party’s colours to green.

However, a call to change the party’s name to Movement for Democratic Change Congress was shot down by delegates at the congress.

Party spokesman, Edwin Mushoriwa was elected deputy president, after Frank Chamunorwa pulled out of the contest.

Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga stepped into the secretary-generals post, while Moses Mzila Ndlovu will be her deputy.

There were no surprises in the elections, with Paul Themba Nyathi ascending to the treasurer general’s position while Theresa Marimazhira became his deputy.

Goodrich Chimbaira will take over Mudzumwe’s position as national chairman.

Frank Chamunorwa, who declined nomination for the chairmanship was eventually voted in as the deputy chairman.

Miriam Mushayi was deployed as the director of planning, strategy and implementation, a newly created position.

Elections for the youth and women’s assemblies were still to be held at the time of going to print.

The party’s newly elected national council is expected to meet after the end of the congress today.

Sources revealed that Mutambara was likely to be appointed to one of  the non-electable positions when the council meets.

“That was a great and unifying speech that Mutambara gave and we certainly still need him in the party,” a source said.

As reported last week, David Coltart is expected to be chosen as the secretary for legal affairs when the national council meets.

Newsday

5 January 2011

By Owen Gagare and  Veneranda Langa

Arthur Mutambara’s shadow continues to haunt MDC-M ahead of this weekend’s congress with his supporters insisting the robotics professor was unfairly treated and should remain within the party leadership.

Mutambara, who appears to have been outwitted in the battle for the party presidency by his secretary-general Welshman Ncube ahead of the party’s elective congress, has the sympathy of some members who believe he is being unfairly treated.

Although Mashonaland Central Province nominated Ncube for the presidency on Monday, they brewed a shocker when they nominated Mutambara for the secretary-general’s position. Priscilla Misihairabwi- Mushonga, a very close ally of Ncube, is however very strongly tipped for the position and has secured nominations from nine of the 11 provinces.

Nominations in Masvingo Province, which is said to be behind Mutambara, failed to go ahead over the weekend after some members of the provincial executive refused to participate citing the violation of the party’s constitution ahead of the congress.

The remaining members could not constitute a quorum resulting in nominations being shelved. Masvingo was also threatening to boycott the congress unless their grievances were addressed.

Nominations in Chitungwiza and Manicaland provinces were also chaotic with some members walking out accusing Ncube of embarking on a restructuring exercise which placed his supporters in key positions ahead of the congress.

Nominations however went ahead with Ncube getting the nod for the presidency.

MDC-M spokesman Edwin Mushoriwa confirmed nominations did not go ahead in Masvingo after party members failed to constitute a quorum.

He however said the major reason was lack of information to the electoral college, although he acknowledged that there were some disgruntlements.

“Masvingo delegates will come for the congress, of course some people were misinformed about the time of the meeting, but the province will sit on the 7th (Friday) for the nominations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mashonaland Central added interesting dimensions to the battle for positions at the congress after nominating Nomalanga Khumalo for the vice presidency.

She becomes the fourth person in the running for the position after Mushoriwa, who has the backing of six provinces, Frank Chamunorwa, who was nominated by three provinces and Trudy Stevenson who was nominated by Matabeleland South.

The province also chose David Coltart as its preferred candidate for the treasurer’s position, his second nomination after also securing the support of Matabeleland South. Coltart may face Paul Themba Nyathi who received nine nominations.

There is however growing belief that Coltart was better connected than Nyathi and could secure more funding for the party.

Coltart was one of the few party officials who were not involved in the party’s in-fighting ahead of the congress although Nyathi is a close ally of Ncube.

Mashonaland Central also nominated Qhubani Moyo for the deputy secretary-general’s position, his second after Midlands South.

He will square up with Moses Mzila Ndlovu, who was nominated by eight provinces. The other nomination went to Mushoriwa but he is likely to contest for the vice presidency.

Mushoriwa said his party had managed to transcend petty tribal, racial, religious, or ethnic divisions ahead of the congress.

The congress will be held under the theme “Celebrating our diversity”. He said this was prompted by the fact that they were a party representing a wide spectrum of Zimbabweans from different backgrounds and environments.

“As a party we celebrate that kind of diversity and say that in as much as we may differ we are one people. We are different from other political parties because we are the only political party that looks at the capacity and capability of a person, unlike other parties that look at tribal and racial connotations of a leader,” Mushoriwa said.

He said this was clear because at the moment, the MDC-M was the only political party in government that had assigned a white man to a ministerial post.

“We are the only party in government at the moment that has managed to appoint a white man as minister.

Coltart is the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture and another white woman, Trudy Stevenson was appointed ambassador to Senegal on our party ticket,” he said.

Mushoriwa said MDC-M was an idea-based political party which had managed to maintain consistency in its policies and ideologies, compared to other political parties which thrived on personalities.

New Zimbabwe.com

3 January 2011

ANALYSTS have said Deputy Prime Minister Professor Arthur Mutambara – who is set to be replaced as leader of his MDC party – could yet retain his position in the coalition government.

Mutambara was appointed Deputy Prime Minister by President Robert Mugabe by virtue of being leader of a faction of the MDC, but the former student leader is set to be replaced at the party’s national congress due over the weekend.

Industry and Commerce Minister, Welshman Ncube — currently the party’s Secretary General — is a shoe-in for the party’s next president after being nominated by ten of its 12 administrative provinces.

A statement released by party spokesman, Edwin Mushoriwa, shows that Ncube is unchallenged for the presidency. Mushoriwa leads nominations for the deputy president.

Mutambara has since indicated that he would not be available for re-election but, with the party’s provinces nominating Ncube anyway, his offer to step aside was always going to be a moot point.

Still, despite confirming he was stepping aside, having “done my part”, Mutambara curiously insisted that he would not “be going anywhere”.

However, MDC activists unhappy with his leadership want Mutambara recalled from the coalition government and replaced by the party’s new leader.

But constitutional law expert, Dr Lovemore Madhuku, said Mutambara could remain Deputy Prime Minister even if he is removed from the leadership of the MDC.

“There is no such language as recalling in this country. It’s the ANC language and it’s nonsensical. Mutambara was sworn in by the President in terms of Amendment number 19 Act and that is the Constitution,” Madhuku said.

“It is only (President) Mugabe who can either force him to resign or dismiss him, if he is not happy with his performance. The GPA is not the Constitution and is a separate arrangement. So, Mutambara is likely to complete his term in the inclusive government,” he added.

The strife-torn coalition government may yet last longer than initially expected following indications that elections demanded by Mugabe could be postponed.

The Zanu PF leader had insisted that elections must be held by June to replace the coalition government arguing the fractious administration was no longer fit for purpose.

But state media over the weekend suggested the polls may be delayed to allow for the completion of ongoing constitutional reforms.

Meanwhile, Ncube said Education Minister, David Coltart, who has not been nominated for his position could still remain the party’s legal secretary.

“The position of secretary for legal affairs is not up for nomination, but rather that person is elected by the NEC,” Ncube said.

He added that the party’s provinces were probably happy with Coltart’s performance as legal affairs secretary and wanted to retain him in that portfolio.

The MDC has six seats in the Senate and holds 10 Parliamentary seats.

In the coalition government, the party was allocated four cabinet positions and also provided two deputy ministers.

Standard

2 January 2011

WITH MDC-M nominations for national executive council members in full swing, questions have been raised on the seemingly conspicuous absence of David Coltart’s name.

Coltart is regarded as one of the driving forces within the party and his absence on the nomination list got tongues wagging, with some speculating that he could be on his way out.

So far, the Education, Sport, Arts and Culture minister has only been nominated by Matabeleland South province as treasurer general, while Bulawayo nominated him as an NEC member.

Party secretary general, Welshman Ncube cleared the air this week saying Coltart was likely to be retained as secretary for legal affairs.

The position of secretary for legal affairs is not up for nomination, but rather that person is elected by the NEC,” he said.

Ncube said probably the provinces were happy with Coltart’s job as legal affairs secretary and wanted to retain him in that portfolio.

Meanwhile, an intriguing battle is looming for the party’s vice presidency, with Frank Chamunorwa and party spokesman, Edwin Mushoriwa literally neck and neck in the battle to assume the top post.

Mushoriwa seemed the likely candidate to take up that position, but Chamunorwa has had a late rally to keep in touch with the party’s spokesman.

It was revealed that from the six provinces that had held their congresses the two had garnered and equal number of nominations.

Sources within the party said if there was nothing to separate the candidates the issue would be taken to a vote by delegates at the party’s congress.

Party leader Arthur Mutambara recently announced that he would not be standing for the party presidency or any other post at the party’s congress this month.

He said he would remain an ordinary member of the party.

The announcement came a few hours after the MDC-M Harare province had announced that it was backing Professor Ncube to take over the presidency at the party’s congress to be held in Harare this month.

Mutambara’s withdrawal from the race clears the way for Ncube, who has not hidden his leadership ambitions

Weekly Agenda

By Mziwandile Ndlovu

31 December 2010

As per tradition at the end of the year, the Weekly Agenda conducts an in-depth review of the performance of the executive and other critical state instruments. The score card measures the work achieved by individual cabinet ministers and measures them on a scale of 1 to 10.

ECONOMIC CLUSTER

Finance (B-)

This year, Finance Minister Tendai Biti continued to exude the impressive work rate be exhibited last year that has come to be his trademark. It was an eventful year for him as he tried to continue with efforts to receive the economy.

Minister Biti used his energy and knack for aggression to try to force Mines Minister Obert Mpofu to account for proceeds from the sale of diamonds at the Chiadzwa fields though to no avail. Still walking the tightrope with his “We eat what we gather” policy, Minister Biti continued showing signs of prudence. Inflation has not waivered much and there has been no drastic change on the interest rate front and his mid-term fiscal policy review was relatively well received. He is riding on a crest of success after delivering a relatively sound budget for 2011 which managed to raise the tax free threshold and give civil servants a 100% bonus. He should also be credited with conducting a series of thorough consultations for the 2011 budget in just about every province. His dynamism and courage has seen him trying to rally a multi-party movement to get the budget passed by parliament.

On the downside, Biti has failed to make headway into getting hold of the proceeds of the Chiadzwa diamond fields. After trying to promote local businesses by banning the importation of animals and animal products in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, he had to climb down on the pronouncement on seeing local industry’s glaring inability to deliver. It also appears that he is not winning the battle on compelling companies to use fiscalized tax registers as there is fierce resistance to the move.

Also on the Ministers desk for 2011 is how to ensure that a common currency prevails in the country so that consumers in the Southern part of the country are not short-changed. While the Minister has announced that he has engaged the US government to supply coins to Zimbabwe, critics feel that he has gone against common logic of joining the Rand Monetary Union. In probably his blunder of the year, the Minister told a budget consultative meeting in Bulawayo that his Ministry would not release any information to show how much each province contributes to treasury and, in return, how much the state spends in each province.

Industry and Commerce (C)

Minister Welshman Ncube had a lacklustre year due to various reasons. Many would say that there is little that a minister can do to revive an economy when it is under sanctions and there is little foreign direct investment. What can be said about Ncube is that he made the right noises and appeared in the right place but little can be said about any improvements. There is no doubt that he has brilliant ideas on how to revive industry and he also attended and convened a couple of conferences to articulate these ideas. We never saw crisp policy pronouncements or any moves to promulgate legislation on the industry front as other Ministers were doing.  Many also feel that most of Ndube’s time this year was taken up by party politics. He was more concerned with positioning himself as his party’s next leader and fighting an onslaught on his party by the MDC. We look forward to a better year from him, at least before the end of the all inclusive government.

Economic Planning, Investment Promotion and Development (D)

This ministry, needless to say, has suffered from the Prime Minister’s cabinet reshuffle. The initial incumbent Elton Mangoma, who has since moved to Energy, also appears to have had an ordinary year, if not worse. A Minister in this portfolio is expected to run with the mandate of soliciting investment and also making policy pronouncements to come up with innovate ways to promote investment and to market the country as a viable investment destination. Sadly, we did not see this from Mangoma until his departure. The new incumbent Tapiwa Mashakada should be given time to begin to settle into his Ministry. He is also widely respected in economic issues but has taken rather too long to start making the right noises and make his presence felt.

THE SOCIAL CLUSTER

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture (A-)

Minister David Coltart remains arguably the best performing Minister as far as indicators are concerned. Consolidating the work he did last year, he bought more stability to the education sector. Indicators showed that 2010 has actually been the best academic year in a decade. There were significantly less resignations by teachers this year and there were less disruptions of the academic calendar by way of industrial action. The text book initiative remains the most successful policy of the ministry. Textbooks are currently being delivered to 700 schools a week and the ministry has now achieved 1:1 student: textbook ratio. The minister’s energy also saw him gracing numerous arts and cultural activities to give moral support. Even though it was a bad year for sport, the ministry has called for another inquiry into the match fixing scandal that rocked local sport and has denounced the practice.

Higher and Tertiary Education (J)

Minister Dr. Stan Mudenge continues to be the weakest link in the executive as he is doing virtually no work to talk about. For a couple of years now, his health has been the subject of rife speculation and it only makes sense that President Robert Mugabe should rest this man, whose better days are clearly behind him. It appears the President does not recognise how strategic higher education is by keeping Mudenge there. It is not a surprise that there is no leadership from the centre in this sector and institutions of higher learning are operating wily nily. They charge the fees that they deem fit with no monitoring from the ministry. There has been no serious effort also to take advantage of the relative economic stability to lure some academic exiles. It appears Mudenge’s frail health only enables him to attend graduation ceremonies which he also struggles to do. This ministry, needless to say, is in need of a leader in the calibre of Senator Coltart.

Local Government and Rural Development (F)

Minister Ignatius Chombo spent the better part of his year fighting personal battles and not doing the employer’s business. He exerted more energy into fighting to ensure that his estranged wife gets as little property as possible in their protracted divorce proceedings. This domestic dispute brought to the public agenda his stinking wealth that raised questions about how he acquired it. He had to endure a storm of critics who insinuated that he used his official position to convine with municipal officials to acquire properties in all parts of the country. Sadly, his principal President Mugabe did not call him to account.

On the work front, he did not do much save for going around the country presiding over the installation of traditional leaders. He also caused a lot of controversy as he pushed to exercise his constitutional right to appoint special-interest councillors which was widely viewed as a politically motivated move. He was also a pain in the neck for MDC-M who wanted defecting councillors to also relinquish their council seats. Chombo refused to do this, as the current local government legislation empowers only the Minister to dismiss councillors.

Health and Child Welfare (C)

The usually media-shy Dr. Henry Madzorera had a reasonable satisfactory year. He showed some energy and innovation despite the absence of funding for many projects the ministry could have carried out. He consistently tried to energise the health sector for the better part of the year saying that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are achievable though efforts will obviously be adversely affected by lack of funding. He also maintained viable links with institutions such as the National Aids Council (NAC) which donated some vehicles to the ministry for AIDS alleviation programmes.

Madzorera also led initiatives such as securing the support of the Global Fund for the retention of health workers. The Voluntary Testing programme, of which the Ministry is a major stakeholder, recorded a 100% increase. The Ministry has also played a crucial role in publicising the Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) programme. We are looking forward to a better year.

Youth, Indigenisation and Empowerment (D)

Minister Saviour Kasukuwere quoted a lot of controversy in the earlier part of the year as he tried to rush through his controversial Indigenisation Bill regulations meant to give indigenous people 51% of all firms in the country. The move came under serious fire as people across the political divide and the general public condemned the move as it would adversely affect Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). So antagonising were his overtures that at one point, diplomats walked out of a meeting at which he attacked their countries’ ownership of companies in the country.

Not much happened on the Youth side save for attempts to reform the National Youth Policy of Zimbabwe. Somehow he managed to source funding from the UNDP and get the buy-in of a cross section of players in the youth sector. The process began on a positive note with the appointment of a credible academic to lead the process but soon ran into chaos as a result of allegations of bussing ZANU PF youths to the meetings by the Minister. There were reports of civil society functionaries walking out of meetings after being heckled for the king of presentations they made. It appears the process has been put on ice, at least for now.

Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development (F)

Minister Dr. Olivia Muchena had a dismal year by any standards. She is a strong Mugabe ally and continues to buy her cabinet stay on this strength. She invested some of her energy in supposedly fighting for the participation of women in the constitution-making process. She was also involved in a power tussle with Oppah Muchinguri within the ZANU PF Women’s League. Not much can be said of her work in her cabinet portfolio.

Labour and Social Services (D)

Minister Paurina Mpariwa also had a lacklustre year. It can be argued accurately that there is not much that a Minister of Labour can do in the absence of a viable industry. She made a critical intervention, however, in rising tendencies by Chinese companies to exploit and ill-treat workers. The Minister ordered the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) to probe the matter. Allegations raised were physical assault, dismissal without giving adequate notice, absence of toilets as well as allegations of women sharing the same toilets. As a result of the Minister’s intervention NSSA suspended operations at the sites until all safety requirements were met. Where fatal accidents occurred, prosecution was recommended. The polarization in the political terrain has also curtailed the Minister’s participation in the largely dysfunctional Tripartite Negotiation Forum (TNF). There is a growing trend in which various employers are opening firms in various parts of the country but making a deliberate effort to send staff to the place of work while marginalising the locals. The Minister should ensure that new laws are promulgated compelling employers to employ locals and also to embark on compulsory community development projects.

THE INFRASTRUCTURE CLUSTER

Energy and Power Development (D)

Such a crucial Ministry in the country was also negatively affected by the Prime Minister’s mid-year cabinet reshuffle. Previous incumbent Eng. Elias Mudzuri was axed in what largely viewed as part of a protracted power play at Harvest House. The Minister was yet to make any impact in leading efforts to rehabilitate transmitters. It may be too early to score the performance of new incumbent Elton Mangoma. He has also taken rather too long to start making proclamations on pressing issues on his desks. There appears to be no political will to whip the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) into line. The power utility has refused with impunity to affect the Tariffs and Competition Commission’s directive to lower their tariffs by 43% despite protracted demonstrations by residents of Bulawayo. The Minister is also mum on what is likely to happen to the utility bills being owed to the power utility by consumers who are apparently unable to pay. If Mangoma is a serious Minister, we must know his prescriptions for these issues at the beginning of the year. We also want to hear what direction is to be taken in alternative power development.

State Enterprises and Parastatals (B)

The Ministry also suffered from the premier’s cabinet reshuffle. The score is only attributed to the current incumbent as not much can be said about previous incumbent Joel Guebuzza Gabuzza’s performance.

Minister Gorden Moyo has fired the right warning shots in the short time that he has taken over the reins. The Minister immediately went on rounds to state entities to conduct a comprehensive audit into their operations. His most notable initiative so far has been the Ministry’s Corporate Governance Framework which he has pushed for so energetically. The new policy is set to bring about better accountability in state entities as it compels state entities to hold Annual General Meetings and submit audited annual financial statements. He has also pushed for Parliament to be able to determine the remuneration of CEOs which have been said to be exorbitant.

Information Communication Technologies (D)

Minister Nelson Chamisa had done well when he took over the portfolio with the way he facilitate the availability and flooding of sim-cards on the market. We also praised his Ministry for their dynamic website but it appears he did not do much this year in his ministerial portfolio. It appears he has given up on his fight with Nicholas Goche for the control of Net-One. It would appear that Chamisa is fully employed by Harvest House as Director of Communications as that is virtually the work he did this year.

Information, Media and Publicity (G)

Minister Webster Shamu is one of the people who are drawing a salary for no work done. There has been no reform what-so-ever to the public media as it remains partisan. In fact, he appears to have intensified his campaign for jingles possibly in preparation for elections next year. We only saw him running around as ZANU PF national commissar.

National Housing and Social Amenities (F)

Not much can be said about either the previous or current incumbents Fidelis Mhashu and Giles Mutsekwa who was also a political casualty of the PM’s mid-term cabinet reshuffle as he was moved from the powerful Home Affairs Ministry. No work to talk about.

Public Service (F)

We are still waiting for the outcome of Minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro’s public service human capital audit. We have yet to hear prescriptions on how to avoid waste by the payments of ghost workers. He developed some balls this year though as he publicly clashed with Minister of Finance Tendai Biti accusing him of behaving like a super-Minister. He also announced an elaborate loan scheme for civil servants to thunderous applause. We await the outcome as civil servants filled in the forms and are yet to get any response.