mbulelo smpofu
Zvamaida Murwira, Harare Bureau
President Mnangagwa yesterday slammed some Cabinet Ministers for failing to attend Cabinet meetings and Committees saying they should toe the line or risk appropriate consequences.
He said it was critical for Cabinet Ministers to realise that Cabinet meetings take precedence over all other businesses they might have.
The Head of State and Government said this yesterday while addressing the last Cabinet meeting for the year.
He said while most Ministers rose above their respective sectoral interests in favour of achieving the common national good, there was a worrisome tendency by some Ministers and senior Government officials who were not attending meetings.
“Let me however hasten to emphasise that Cabinet processes are anchored on the timely submission of vital documents and regular attendance by Ministers and officials. These include both ad-hoc as well as standing Cabinet Committees. The worrisome tendency by Ministers and senior officials to absent themselves from meetings is untenable,” said President Mnangagwa.
“In some cases, junior officials are delegated to attend and merely ‘warm bench’ the meetings. This culture is tantamount to dereliction of duty. Permanent Secretaries should ensure that in their absence, only directors and above should attend working party meetings.”
He directed the Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Martin Rushwaya to monitor Ministers’ attendance of the meetings.
“In the 2025 calendar year, the Chief Secretary is directed to strictly monitor individual attendance and ensure that errant Ministers and officials toe the line or risk dire consequences. Ministers should remain mindful that Cabinet business takes precedence over all other business,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said Deputy Ministers should be adequately briefed to help them represent the Government when they attend meetings.
“In cases where Deputy Ministers are assigned, they should be adequately capacitated to enable active participation in the requisite deliberations. To this end, I direct that in the 2025 programme cycle and going forward, Deputy Ministers must now sign performance contractors. It is incumbent upon Ministers to ensure that their deputies are comprehensively briefed on Government business and given the latitude for effective involvement,” he said.
A few years ago, President Mnangagwa introduced performance contracts for Cabinet Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and heads of parastatals and State entities as a way of encouraging hard work and results oriented workmanship.
He has also been conferring awards to top-performing Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and heads of Government departments as the Second Republic continues to foster a culture of excellence, work ethic and servant leadership in its quest to attain Vision 2030.
Among the notable winners were Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka who took first place as the top-performing Cabinet Minister for the second time running.
