The Sunday Mail
Zanu-PF has appointed four provincial ministers of State to its Central Committee to help implement major programmes aimed at delivering economic transformation.
The appointments of Ministers Miriam Chikukwa (Harare), Jason Machaya (Midlands), Advocate Martin Dinha (Mashonaland Central) and Brigadier-General (Retired) Ambrose Mutinhiri (Mashonaland East) stem from objectives set out by the 16th Zanu-PF Annual National People’s Conference in 2016.
The conference resolved to drive implementation of Zanu-PF’s economic policies via Government under a matrix that involves closer liaison between party and Government policy-makers.
Zanu-PF administrators and Cabinet ministers leading economic portfolios have been meeting since then to steer programmes in the national economic blueprint, Zim-Asset.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, party Secretary for Administration Dr Ignatius Chombo said the appointments were made when the Politburo met two weeks ago.
He said the four were ex-officio Central Committee members mandated to superintend economic initiatives in their jurisdictions, and have been instructed to compile reports regularly.
Their counterparts, Ministers Faber Chidarikire (Mashonaland West), Mandy Chimene (Manicaland), Cain Matema (Matabeleland North) Eunice Sandi Moyo (Bulawayo) and Shuvai Mahofa (Masvingo) are already in the Central Committee on a similar mandate.
Dr Chombo said, “The Politburo meeting appointed Cdes Martin Dinha, Jason Machaya, Brigadier-General (Retired) Ambrose Mutinhiri and Miriam Chikukwa as ex-officio Central Committee members.
“The party wants to be always in touch with the people, and lend an ear to their wishes and aspirations.
‘‘Therefore, Provincial Ministers are the foot soldiers who have the task of keeping abreast of what the people (in their respective provinces) want. The objective of these appointments is for them to give developmental reports from their provinces.”
The ministers will also sit on the Central Committee’s adhoc technical panels that preside over specific issues as directed by the party.
According to Article 7 of the Zanu-PF Constitution, the Central Committee is the principal organ of Congress, the party’s supreme decision-making body.
Section 34 (3) of the Article says it gives “direction and supervision, and superintends all the functions of the Central Government in relation to programmes as enunciated by Congress”.
A special committee is meeting weekly to steer Zim-Asset implementation while focusing on two broad aspects – the state of the economy and party.
On the state of the economy, working programmes are guided by four Zim-Asset clusters — Food Security and Nutrition, Social Services and Poverty Reduction, Infrastructure and Utilities; and Value Addition and Beneficiation.
Key issues under the state of the party include affirming President Mugabe as Zanu-PF’s Presidential candidate for the 2018 harmonised elections, fighting factionalism, promoting unity and mobilisation ahead of the poll.
