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Hebson Makuvise goes to Germany

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FIVE new ambassadors and high commissioners from the MDC were on Wednesday officially appointed by Robert Mugabe, to represent Zimbabwe in different countries.

The three women and two men received their letters of credential from Robert Mugabe when they took the oath of allegiance and the oath of secrecy, administered at State House on Wednesday. The new envoys will serve a minimum four years on tour of duty at their stations. All five completed a three months diplomatic training course in Harare in October last year.

A letter of credential is an official document conveying the credentials of a diplomatic envoy to a foreign government. The envoys are Hebson Makuvise who goes to Germany, Hilda Suka-Mafudze (Sudan), Jacqueline Nomhla Zwambila (Australia), Mabed Khumbulani (Nigeria) (all from MDC-T) and MDC-M’s Trudy Stevenson, who will take up her post in Senegal.

This is the first time since Independence 30 years ago that ambassadors outside ZANU PF circles have been appointed by Mugabe. The appointments were made possible by the signing of the Global Political Agreement that gave birth to the inclusive government. The three principals to the GPA, Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, agreed that the MDC formations nominate five ambassadors-designates for posting to Zimbabwean missions abroad.

One of the new ambassadors, Trudy Stevenson, told SW Radio Africa that at times she had felt ‘dispirited and demoralised’ by the long time it has taken Mugabe to finally appoint them as ambassadors. The five new envoys were nominated by their parties in August last year and it has taken Mugabe six months to present them with their’ letters of credence’.

Ambassador Stevenson said as the only white envoy among the five, she was particularly honoured to be representing the country in Senegal, a French speaking country. She speaks fluent French and will fly to Dakar next week Wednesday.

‘This shows that white people still have a major role to play in the rebuilding of Zimbabwe. I’m also particularly pleased that I will be able to rebuild the good relations that existed between Senegal and Zimbabwe before 2002 when we closed down our embassy in Dakar due to financial constraints. Being a French speaker, I think I will find it easy to start normalising relations between the two countries,’ Stevenson said.

Makuvise, the new envoy to Berlin in Germany, expressed appreciation to the three principals in the inclusive government and pledged to live up to the task.

The former MDC-T chief representative to London, who takes up his posting in early March, said he will strive to work hard to woo more investors into Zimbabwe and create a market for Zimbabwean goods in Germany.

Zwambila, the new ambassador to Australia, was due to fly out of Harare on Wednesday evening for Canberra to take up her posting. Envoys to Sudan and Nigeria will be leaving Harare next week. SW Radio

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