Harare, Zimbabwe | The dust is still settling on the most significant shift in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s latest cabinet reshuffle: the removal of Jenfan Muswere from the influential Ministry of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services.
While the official statement from Chief Secretary Martin Rushwaya framed the move as a routine reassignment to the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development, insiders at ZiMetro News point to a much more “turbulent week” involving a high-stakes showdown over the control of the state broadcaster, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).
The Failed Dismissal of Helliate Rushwaya
The catalyst for Muswere’s sudden exit appears to be his ill-fated attempt to fire ZBC board chairperson Helliate Rushwaya. The drama unfolded while President Mnangagwa was attending high-level meetings in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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The Move: Muswere moved to dismiss Rushwaya, a move that sent shockwaves through the media fraternity.
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The Interim Board: In her place, Muswere had already moved to appoint Chipo Nheta as interim chairperson, with popular media personality Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa as her deputy.
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The Reversal: The victory was short-lived. Sources reveal that the President intervened directly from Dubai, ordering an immediate reversal of the decision. By Wednesday, Muswere was no longer the head of the ministry.
The internal government friction spilled over into the state-controlled press in spectacular fashion. ZiMetro News has learned that The Herald had already gone to print with the announcement of the ZBC board changes.
“The newspaper had already printed 3,000 copies of the early edition before the frantic order came to recall them,” a source within the Zimpapers building revealed.
The recall resulted in substantial financial losses for the state-controlled daily, further highlighting the lack of coordination that has reportedly frustrated the Presidency.
Muswere’s “shunting” to a less prominent ministry is seen by political analysts as a clear reprimand. President Mnangagwa has reportedly grown wary of what he perceives as a “weak and poorly coordinated” government messaging strategy, compounded by the recent ZBC leadership vacuum.
Stepping into the fray is Soda Zhemu, the former Minister of National Housing. Zhemu’s primary mandate will be to stabilize the state media apparatus and ensure the “Pockets Hill” headquarters aligns with the executive’s vision without the public drama that characterized the past week.
This shift might be the tip of the iceberg. With rumors swirling about General Phillip Valerio Sibanda’s potential entry into the Lands Ministry, this mini-reshuffle may just be the opening act of a much broader administrative overhaul as the government looks toward 2030.