Mnangagwa to name cabinet this week

President Emmerson Mnangagwa will name his cabinet, which he said would be leaner, this week according to Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda.

Sibanda told the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation yesterday that Mnangagwa would unveil his cabinet in two or three days.

Mnangagwa has already appointed two acting ministers Patrick Chinamasa for finance and Simbarashe Mumbengegwi for Foreign Affairs.

While some agree these are critical ministries, others say he should bring in new blood.

Chinamasa will present the 2018 national budget on Thursday next week.

The budget should have been presented last week by Ignatius Chombo who was Finance Minister for less than a month. Chinamasa could therefore actually be presenting a budget that he had crafted.

This will be the second time Chinamasa will be presenting the national budget as an acting minister.

He presented the 2009 budget in which he dollarized the economy but credit went to Tendai Biti who took over from him.

Mnangagwa has introduced cost cutting measures which include cutting down the budget for the party’s special congress due in two weeks.

His new cabinet will also show how serious he is about cost cutting.

Whispers say he did not travel to the inauguration of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday because there was no budget for that.

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