Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Mr Justin Mupamhanga has retired, having served in Government for 36 years.
He told the State media: “While I’ve retired as a civil servant, I’ve not retired from my country. I will continue to root for and love my country just as I loved it when I left university in 1975 to join the liberation war.”
Mr Mupamhanga was active during Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle, with stints in key positions in Zanu and Zanla’s commissariat and education departments.
On March 1, 1983, he joined the civil service in the Economics Division of the President’s Department.
He rose through the ranks to head the division in 1992 and was later elevated to the post of Deputy Director (External Intelligence).
In 1994, Mr Mupamhanga was posted to London, England as Minister Counsellor.
He was recalled home four years later to transform the Economics Division into the Economics Branch it is today. His brief involved creating a nexus between the branch and all the country’s economic stakeholders.
At the time, drought stalked much of Southern Africa, his scope was then expanded to ensuring food security, working with security forces and senior civil servants to import maize and avert hunger. Other task force members were then Air Force Commander Air Marshal Perrance Shiri, Major-General Amoth Chingombe (late) and Mr Ngoni Masoka, Secretary for Agriculture at the time.
He was on a similar assignment in 2001/2002.
Mr Mupamhanga would be appointed Secretary for Energy and Power Development.
“The (department) faced far bigger challenges: that of resolving crippling fuel shortages and electricity availability was at its lowest ebb,” he recalled.
“The ministry decided to recommend to Cabinet the liberalisation of the fuel industry.
“The opening up of the fuel sub-sector and especially the increased participation of indigenous players resulted in the easing of the fuel shortage.”
His next grand project was restructuring the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe.
Mr Mupamhanga also spearheaded the restructuring of power utility Zesa into self-contained business units.
He also introduced the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority.
In 2012, he was appointed Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, responsible for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Government programmes and projects.
One of his stand out assignments was superintending Command Agriculture under the guidance of Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda.
