Speaking to Violet Gonda during an interview on the Hot Seat, lawyer and former Education Minister David Coltart said that he was disappointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s cabinet.
He however commended Mnangagwa for appointing three technocrats in his Cabinet. These are; Professor Amon Murwira, Professor Clever Nyathi and Winston Chitando.
Sibusiso Moyo
I’m puzzled by President Mnangagwa’s appointment of Major General Moyo. I’ve got nothing against against Major General Moyo. I don’t know him at all. But he does have a problematic past. He is mentioned in the 2002 UN Report into the plundering of the Congo. He was then Director General of COSLEG. He advised both Tremalt and Oryx Natural Resources which represented covert Zimbabwe military financial interests in negotiations with State mining companies in the DRC then. He was also the person accused by civic groups of being in charge of violent military action against MDC members in the Presidential runoff in 2008 and of course he was the face of the coup in the early hours of Wednesday the 15th of November when he appeared on the ZBC. So its a puzzling choice for a foreign minister because this is a man who is already known to the international community in a very bad way.
Perrance Shiri
It is problematic. He was the Commander of the Fifth Brigade. The North Korean trained Fifth Brigade in 1983. Although he has been Commander of the Airforce for a long time, he had a relatively low profile. Now he becomes the Minister of Lands. Land obviously is a key issue for President Mnangagwa. He referred to it in his inaugural address. He said that he wanted a new dispensation and that he wanted to pay compensation to farmers and in that role Mr Shiri is going to have to have this international face. He is going to be the face of the nation in persuading the International community that the land issue has been resolved. So its a curious choice. It doesn’t make sense to me. I would have thought that any number of Zanu-PF ex cabinet ministers or Members of Parliament would have fitted that role better.
Patrick Chinamasa
Since Patrick Chinamasa took office as Finance Minister there has been a run on bank deposits. He is the person who has been responsible for this massive budget deficit which has been funded by the issuance of Treasury Bills. He is the person responsible for issuing bond notes. So he, more than anyone else must take responsibility for the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy. I would have thought if ever there was a position that needed a sound technocrat someone like a Nkosana Moyo or a Simba Makoni, it was the Ministry of Finance. So I disagree with that. I don’t think it does inspire confidence in the public, in the banking sector to have Chinamasa back in that position.
Source: Pindula