HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been forced to reverse the appointment of two ministers after overlapping his quota of non-constituency MPs he can appoint to his Cabinet.
The Zanu PF leader named nine ministers who did not win any parliamentary seats, but he is only allowed seven under a constitutional provision empowering the president to recruit individuals from outside parliament “for their professional skills and competence.”
Mnangagwa has now reversed the appointment of Nokuthula Matsikenyeri, who had been named Manicaland minister and John Paradza, his pick for deputy minister of environment.
Mutasa South MP and prominent Manicaland lawyer Misheck Mugadza has replaced Matsikenyeri.
Paradza is Zanu PF’s candidate in the Gutu West by-election and may yet take up his appointment if he wins.
The other non-constituency MPs named to his cabinet were Mthuli Ncube (finance), Mangaliso Ndlovu (environment), Kirsty Coventry (sport), Ziyambi Ziyambi (justice), Anxious Masuka (lands), Amon Murwira (higher education) and Oppah Muchinguri (defence).
This is not the first time Mnangagwa has appointed more non-constituency MPs than he is allowed.
In September 2018, Mnangagwa named six non-constituency MPs, one more than the five allowed by the constitution then, before a constitutional amendment raised the number to seven. Zanu PF subsequently directed Matabeleland North senator Obert Mpofu to relinquish his seat to accommodate Cain Mathema, who was one of the six.
