MNANGAGWA’S ENDLESS APPOINTMENTS - WHEN WILL ORDINARY ZIMBABWEANS BENEFIT?

 by Chiedza Kambari (Deputy Organising Secretary ROHR Midlands Branch – UK Chapter)

17^th October 2026

Zimbabweans have every reason to question the priorities of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government. Almost every day, the nation hears announcements about people being appointed, reassigned or given new positions in government and ZANU PF. But the question remains: what are ordinary Zimbabweans gaining from all these appointments?

On 8 October 2026, Kudakwashe Tagwirei was appointed Minister of Economic Development and Investment Promotion, while Professor Mthuli Ncube was reassigned to the Ministry of Finance. Dr Egepha Victoria Jokomo was also appointed Permanent Secretary for Skills Audit and Development, with effect from 1 November 2026.

On 15 October 2026, further changes were announced within ZANU PF. Kudakwashe Tagwirei was appointed Secretary for Economic Affairs and Investment Promotion in the Politburo, Justice Mayor Wadyajena was appointed to the Central Committee, and Obert Moses Mpofu was redeployed to the Council of Elders.

These appointments raise important questions about the government’s priorities, the distribution of political power and the results expected from those entrusted with leadership responsibilities.

Zimbabweans need solutions, not just announcements!

Across the country, young people are struggling to find jobs, families are battling the high cost of living, and many citizens are finding it increasingly difficult to provide for their children. Hospitals need medicines, schools need resources, and communities need reliable water, electricity and better infrastructure.

At a time when so many people are struggling, President Mnangagwa must explain how these appointments will translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives.

What will Kudakwashe Tagwirei deliver in his economic portfolio? How will Mthuli Ncube improve public financial management? What measurable achievements are expected from Dr Egepha Victoria Jokomo? And how will the ruling party ensure that its leadership structures serve the nation's interests?

These are legitimate questions that deserve clear answers.

Public office is a responsibility, not a personal reward.

Appointments should be based on the country's needs, with clear responsibilities, transparent processes, and measurable outcomes. Where public money is involved, citizens have every right to demand accountability and an explanation of how resources are being used.

Zimbabwe cannot afford to treat the creation, redistribution or reshuffling of positions as evidence of progress in itself. The real measure of leadership is whether people have better opportunities, improved public services and a realistic chance of escaping poverty.

The government must also demonstrate that economic policies benefit ordinary citizens rather than concentrating opportunities and influence in the hands of a small circle of powerful individuals.

Zimbabwe needs development that can be felt in people’s homes, not merely announced in official statements.

President Mnangagwa and his government must recognise that Zimbabweans are watching and asking difficult but necessary questions. Citizens want jobs, affordable living costs, accountable institutions and an economy that creates opportunities for everyone.

Every appointment should come with responsibility. Every leader should be judged by performance. Every government policy should be assessed by its impact on the people.

The question is no longer simply who has received another position. The question is what that person will do to improve Zimbabweans' lives.

Zimbabwe belongs to its people, and its resources and institutions must serve the public interest. Leadership must be about delivering results, not simply distributing positions.

The people of Zimbabwe deserve answers, accountability and meaningful change. Enough announcements without results. It is time for leadership to deliver.

About the author
Chiedza Kambari is a human rights activist based in the United Kingdom. She is the Deputy Organising Secretary of the Midlands Branch of the UK Chapter of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe.  She can be contacted by email at kambarichiedza@gmail.com OR at Chiedza.kambari@rohr-zimbabwe.org

Zimbabweans Must Not Be Forgotten

By Munyaradzi Masaka

29^th September 2026

Zimbabwe’s decision to donate food supplies to communities in drought-affected Botswana has raised an important question about the country’s own food-security situation: while Zimbabwe is extending a helping hand to its neighbour, are enough Zimbabweans receiving the help they need at home?

In September 2026, Zimbabwe donated 10 tonnes of food supplies to communities in Botswana’s drought-prone Bobirwa District through Zim Aid, the country’s foreign-assistance programme. The gesture demonstrates regional solidarity between neighbouring countries.

However, the government must also confront the reality facing vulnerable Zimbabweans.

The World Food Programme’s 2026 assessment says 35% of Zimbabwe’s urban population is food insecure, while 57% of rural households experience food insecurity during the lean season. WFP also reports that high food prices, limited employment opportunities and economic pressures continue to restrict many households’ ability to obtain adequate food.

FEWS NET has similarly warned that food insecurity could deteriorate through early 2027, with some of the worst-affected areas potentially reaching Crisis (IPC Phase 3) conditions as households exhaust their own food stocks and face high staple prices and reduced incomes.

These figures should not be ignored.

There is nothing inherently wrong with Zimbabwe helping a neighbouring country facing drought. African countries have historically supported one another during difficult times, and humanitarian solidarity is important.

But charity beyond our borders should not distract from responsibility at home.

When families struggle to put sufficient food on the table, when unemployment limits people's ability to buy basic necessities, and when rural households face declining food stocks, government policy must ensure that vulnerable citizens are adequately protected.

The central question is therefore not simply, “Why did Zimbabwe give food to Botswana?” The more important question is: “What is Zimbabwe doing to make sure that no Zimbabwean family is left without sufficient food?”

A government is ultimately accountable for the welfare of the people it governs. Assistance to neighbours can coexist with domestic support, but Zimbabweans have a legitimate right to ask whether resources, policies and social-protection programmes are reaching those who need them most.

Zimbabwe should be able to lend a helping hand to its neighbours without leaving its own vulnerable citizens behind.

The country’s food-security figures provide an opportunity for government to reassess its priorities, strengthen social protection, address unemployment and improve household purchasing power.

The people of Zimbabwe deserve not only promises of a better future but also practical policies that ensure food, dignity, and opportunity are available to them today.

By Munyaradzi Masaka

About the author
Munyaradzi Masaka is a human rights activist based in the United Kingdom. He is in the Midlands Branch of the UK Chapter of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe.  He can be contacted by email at masakamunya8219@gmail.com

 

Zimbabwe Is Losing Its People: When Will Government Put Citizens First?

 By Munyaradzi Masaka

9^th September 2026

Zimbabwe is facing a crisis that can no longer be explained away as a series of unfortunate incidents.

From deadly road accidents to rising education costs, from struggling families trying to survive through informal trading to the repeated deployment of police to enforce urban “clean-up” operations, ordinary Zimbabweans are increasingly asking one fundamental question:

Who is government actually working for?

The responsibility of any government should be to protect its citizens, create opportunities, provide essential services and build an environment in which families can look to the future with hope.

Yet today, many Zimbabweans are struggling simply to survive.

Roads that are becoming death traps

The continuing loss of life on Zimbabwe's roads is perhaps one of the clearest signs that something fundamental is wrong.

On 27 May 2026, a passenger bus and a haulage truck collided along the Gokwe–Kwekwe Road. Reports initially differed over the number of fatalities, but police and media reports confirmed multiple deaths and injuries.

Then, in August, another devastating crash near Chivhu claimed 27 lives, according to police and Associated Press reporting. The crash involved a minibus carrying church members and a haulage truck on the Harare–Masvingo Road.

These are not simply numbers.

Behind every death is a mother, father, child, brother, sister, friend or breadwinner.

Every accident leaves families grieving and communities asking whether these tragedies could have been prevented.

Of course, individual drivers must be held responsible when reckless or dangerous driving causes deaths. But government cannot simply point at motorists and walk away from the wider problem.

Zimbabwe needs safer roads, proper road maintenance, effective traffic enforcement, vehicle inspections, emergency response systems, and a public transport system that puts human life before profit.

When dangerous road conditions persist for years, when overloaded or poorly maintained vehicles remain on the roads, and when road users continue to die, the government must answer difficult questions.

How many more Zimbabweans must die before road safety becomes a genuine national emergency?

A clean-up campaign — but what exactly are we cleaning?

The government's continuing campaigns against illegal vending and informal activities in urban areas raise another uncomfortable question.

Zimbabwe certainly needs clean, orderly and safe cities.

Nobody should oppose proper waste management, functioning drainage systems, clean streets or organised urban spaces.

But there is a fundamental difference between cleaning a city and removing the livelihoods of people who have nowhere else to go.

Recent reports indicate that the government has ordered a crackdown on illegal vending in Harare's central business district, insisting that order must be maintained.

But where are these vendors supposed to go?

For many Zimbabweans, vending is not a lifestyle choice. It is survival.

A person who cannot find formal employment may sell vegetables, clothes, airtime, food or other goods simply to feed a family.

If government removes that source of income without creating meaningful employment alternatives, the problem has not been solved.

It has merely been moved somewhere else.

And this is why the police's involvement deserves public scrutiny.

Should the police primarily be dealing with people trying to earn a living, or should the state be creating economic conditions in which people do not have to depend on informal trading to survive?

The answer should be obvious.

Police officers have an important role in maintaining public safety and enforcing the law. But poverty is not a criminal offence.

Why are citizens struggling to educate their children?

Education should be one of the strongest investments a country can make in its future.

Yet parents across Zimbabwe continue to face increasing pressure from school fees, levies, examination costs, uniforms, transport and other education-related expenses.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has recently reminded schools and parents about approved fees and levies and warned schools against forcing parents to purchase uniforms and stationery exclusively from particular suppliers.

The government has also had to intervene repeatedly over school fees and education costs.

This should make every policymaker stop and ask:

What happens to the child whose parents simply cannot afford the cost of education?

A country cannot talk seriously about development while ordinary families are struggling to keep their children in school.

Zimbabwe has historically placed great value on education. That achievement must not be allowed to disappear because families can no longer afford the rising costs of sending children to school.

The bigger question: where is the economic opportunity?

Perhaps all these problems are connected.

The person selling goods on a pavement may be there because there is no formal job.

The young person looking for work may eventually leave Zimbabwe because there are few opportunities.

The family struggling to pay school fees may have parents whose wages cannot keep pace with the cost of living.

The person travelling on a dangerous road may have no reliable alternative public transport.

The informal trader removed from the streets may have no other source of income.

These are not isolated problems.

They are symptoms of a deeper national crisis.

Zimbabwe needs an economy that creates jobs, attracts investment, supports businesses, develops infrastructure and gives young people a reason to believe that their future can be built at home.

Government must accept responsibility

It is easy for authorities to blame the driver after a road accident.

It is easy to blame vendors for making cities untidy.

It is easy to blame parents for failing to pay school fees.

But leadership requires looking beyond the immediate problem.

Why are the roads unsafe?

Why are people forced into informal employment?

Why are families struggling to afford education?

Why are so many young Zimbabweans leaving the country in search of opportunities elsewhere?

These are questions that cannot be answered simply by deploying more police officers.

The government has a responsibility to create the conditions in which citizens can live safely, work with dignity and educate their children. We do not need a future where the police chase vendors from one street to another.

Zimbabwe does not need a future where parents fear every journey because of unsafe roads.

It does not need a future where education becomes increasingly unaffordable.

And it certainly does not need a future where young people grow up believing that their only chance of a decent life is to leave the country.

Zimbabwe deserves better. We deserve better.

The Zimbabwean people deserve a government that treats human life as its most valuable national asset.

We deserve safe roads.

We deserve affordable and accessible education.

We deserve employment opportunities.

We deserve functioning cities.

We deserve accountable institutions.

We deserve police services that protect citizens and enforce the law fairly.

Most importantly, Zimbabweans deserve hope.

A government should not merely manage today's problems. It should build the Zimbabwe of tomorrow.

Every road death should therefore be a call to action.

Every child struggling to remain in school should be a call to action.

Every unemployed young person should be a call to action.

Every vendor being removed from the streets should force us to ask why that person had no better economic opportunity in the first place.

The government cannot continue treating symptoms while ignoring the disease.

The government must stop asking how to control struggling citizens and start asking what it can do to stop citizens from struggling in the first place.

Because at the end of the day, development is not measured by how many people can be removed from the streets.

It is measured by how many citizens can live safely, work with dignity, educate their children and look towards the future with confidence.

We the people deserve nothing less.

About the author
Munyaradzi Masaka is a human rights activist based in the United Kingdom. He is in the Midlands Branch of the UK Chapter of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe.  He can be contacted by email at masakamunya8219@gmail.com

 

Are Mnangagwa’s Priorities Right?

7th September 2026

Emmerson Mnangagwa, the despotic president of Zimbabwe, never ceases to amaze. His priorities are brazenly self-serving to the point where his sanity is called into question.

Zimbabwe is reeling under collapsing infrastructure, be it in the health, transport, services, and many other sectors, and citizens are dying unnecessarily because of this collapse.

Yet he goes on to offer to build a church for a whopping US$2 million.

You have to ask yourself whether national priorities are in the right place, especially as public hospitals continue to face shortages of medicines, equipment, and other essential resources.

Surely improving healthcare, hospitals, and other public services should come first.

Only recently, on 11^th August 2026, a ferry disaster on Lake Kariba claimed nearly one hundred lives when an old, ramshackle vessel operated by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) capsized. The tragedy was driven in part by the government’s chronic underinvestment in critical infrastructure. Victims’ families were offered a pitifully small sum in funeral assistance, yet no commitment was made to upgrade transport infrastructure—doing nothing to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again

There are too many road accidents to mention, all claiming many lives. Most are caused by the condition of our roads, resulting from a lack of investment and corruption.

Zimbabwe’s education sector is now effectively sustained by the private sector—with the government having long since abandoned its duty of care to the nation’s children. Public schools remain in name only. The last meaningful infrastructure improvements were likely made during the Rhodesian era, and arguably in the earliest years following independence.

And yet, here we have an unashamed president and his cronies flaunting ill-gotten wealth and promoting a self-serving patronage system intended to win the backing of self-seeking public figures, church denominations, and their gullible followers.

Shame on you, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.

About the author
Memory Kishindo is a human rights activist based in the United Kingdom. She is in the Midlands Branch of the UK Chapter of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe.  She can be contacted by email at kishindomemory51@gmail.com