Madison Ncube

Professor Mthuli Ncube, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Finance has assumed a new leadership responsibility within ZANU PF following his appointment by President and First Secretary Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa as Secretary for Science and Technology in the Politburo. He succeeds Dr Obert Mpofu, who moves to the Party’s Council of Elders. Congratulations to Professor Ncube on this appointment, and best wishes as he undertakes his new responsibilities.

Hosting the 23rd ZANU PF National People’s Conference brought significant economic and developmental benefits to Chinhoyi and surrounding communities. The influx of thousands of delegates, officials and visitors stimulated local economic activity, benefiting hotels, lodges, restaurants, transport operators, retailers and informal traders. Increased demand for goods and services created temporary employment and additional income opportunities for residents. Conference preparations also encouraged improvements in infrastructure, sanitation, security and the general appearance of the town. Beyond immediate economic gains, the event enhanced Chinhoyi’s national visibility, showcased its hospitality and investment potential, and strengthened its reputation as a destination capable of hosting major national events.

𝗦𝗢, 𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥? Someone raised a fascinating question today: Have sanctions suddenly become effective because Cde Hon. Dr Kudakwashe Tagwirei has been appointed Minister? For more than two decades, we have argued that Western sanctions have undermined Zimbabwe's economic development, restricted access to international finance and complicated our country's economic recovery. And what did our critics say? "They're targeted." "They don't affect ordinary Zimbabweans." "Sanctions are just an excuse." Now Dr Tagwirei becomes Minister of Economic Development and Investment Promotion, and suddenly sanctions are being presented as a potentially insurmountable obstacle to his success. What changed? The sanctions, or the politics? You cannot spend 25 years dismissing concerns about sanctions, only to invoke their devastating consequences when politically convenient. But here is the bigger point. I believe Dr Tagwirei was appointed not despite his experience with sanctions, but precisely because of his demonstrated ability to operate under them. He has built substantial business interests across strategic sectors, including energy, mining and finance, while navigating an exceptionally difficult international environment. That experience is not incidental. It is relevant to the responsibilities of his new office. In my assessment, Zimbabwe has appointed one of its most experienced sanctions navigators to a ministry tasked with attracting investment and accelerating economic development. The real test is not whether Dr Tagwirei can operate under sanctions. He has already demonstrated that he can. The real test is whether he can translate that experience into investment, industrial expansion, jobs and measurable economic growth. And to those suddenly discovering the power of sanctions, one question remains: Were you wrong about sanctions for 25 years, or has Dr Tagwirei's appointment simply changed your political argument?

Rutendo, you told Hon. Minister Dr Tagwirei to slow down. Perhaps that advice is better directed at you. Political commentary requires intellectual discipline, factual integrity and a sense of responsibility. Your message displayed none of the three. Less than two weeks after Wicknell and Lucy Chivayo perished, you insinuate murder without naming a perpetrator, a motive or a shred of evidence. Witnesses in the support helicopter described a pilot trapped in cloud and worsening weather. Investigators are still at work. You chose innuendo anyway. Your boast that Wicknell ignored you and "look where he ended up" is not foresight. It is delusional self-promotion on a matter you clearly know nothing about. If you know of a threat to anyone's life, take it to the authorities. If you do not, stop dressing intimidation up as counsel. You call him a liability to his principal. A week before you wrote, that same principal entrusted him with a Cabinet portfolio. The President's judgement is on public record. Yours is on Facebook and X. ZANU PF is a mature institution that resolves its differences through its own structures, democratically and amicably, from the grassroots to the highest office. That is the way of the Second Republic. The Party does not settle its affairs through threats on social media, nor does it confuse digital theatrics with political authority. Social media has an unfortunate tendency to give even the most inconsequential voices an exaggerated sense of their own importance. A loud voice is not authority. Access to gossip is not intelligence. And mistaking online attention for political relevance is a dangerous failure of judgement. Slow down, Rutendo. Prophecy, false or otherwise, is not your calling. Siyira ana Panga vazvijaira.

Viva ZANUPF! Viva Baba Mnangagwa!