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Harare Bureau
There is a feel-good factor reminiscent of the early days of Independence in Cabinet stemming from the country’s socio-economic trajectory, and any suggestions that Zim-Asset is not working are merely rumour-mongering, a government minister has said.
Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has also dismissed talk of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle triggered by alleged under-performance of some ministers as media speculation.
In an interview with our Harare Bureau on Independence Day, Prof Moyo also brushed off claims that the indigenisation policy could soon be reversed.
Some sections of the private media have lately been claiming that President Mugabe will soon drop some ministers and reshuffle others, while also questioning the efficacy of Zim-Asset and indigenisation.
But Prof Moyo said there was a strong sense of inspiration in government on implementation of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Socio-Economic Transformation, reminiscent of the work ethic of the early 1980s when the Zanu-PF administration took over government.
“This issue about a Cabinet reshuffle and calls for its review or reshuffle by His Excellency is something that is not confusing anybody or getting any serious attention from anyone in government.
“After all, everyone knows we serve in Cabinet at the pleasure of His Excellency and it is his prerogative to reshuffle as and when he deems fit or necessary. When you know that such is the prerogative of the President, there is no reason why you should be bothered by media speculation or orchestration either about or for such a thing.
“One thing we all know though is that President Mugabe is one leader whose decisions are not made by the media. He makes them himself. So this is a non-issue,” he said.
Prof Moyo snuffed claims of a review of indigenisation and empowerment policies saying these formed the bedrock of the Zanu-PF government’s economic strategy. “There are some people who are suggesting that we rethink or realign the indigenisation and economic empowerment policy and it is quite strange to have this against the background that it is that which won elections,” said Prof Moyo.
“I cannot imagine a wise person wanting to rethink where their bread and butter is coming from. I am not aware of any policy changes but I have been reading in the newspapers where the suggestions are being made that we need to rethink indigenisation. In sport you don’t change a winning team and in policy you don’t rethink a winning policy,” he explained.
He said what would be welcome would be fine-tuning and sharpening of policies to better serve the electorate. “We cannot say we must rethink indigenisation in order to advantage or benefit our friends – worse if they are foreigners — who are trying to find an easy way into the economy and trying to avoid to meet the requirements of policy or law.
“I also think it is a repudiation of Zim-Asset to say we must rethink indigenisation meaning let’s do away with it … if people say let’s rethink it in order to change it and move away from it that is unacceptable and it has to be said in the strongest terms that we cannot do that. We cannot say one thing during election campaigns and do the opposite after elections,” he said.
Online Reporter