President Emmerson Mnangagwa
NEWLY installed Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnangagwa says his administration will be leaner to cut costs and improve efficiency.
Meeting with heads of ministries at the State House, Mnangagwa also said there would be no retrenchment of government’s 298,000 strong workforce which accounts for 97 percent of expenditure in basic pay.
Former president Robert Mugabe’s last government had 29 ministers, 10 provincial ministers and three ministers of State. It also had 25 deputy ministers and 24 permanent secretaries.
“I am currently in the process of putting together a new government structure, which should be essentially be leaner,” he said.
“No one will be laid off, except those who have reached the retirement age. Those whose ministerial posts will be abolished will be re-skilled and reassigned to other areas in the public service,” he added..
Mnangagwa the rebuilding of the economy was ‘urgent and imperative.’
“Our people have endured economic hardships for over two decades and now expect this new government to turn things around within the shortest time possible,” he said.
“Let us take advantage of the positive optimism among our people, ushered in by this current dispensation and do our best. This huge weight of expectations from the populace should bid us to shun all the laissez faire approach to our work and instead, endeavour to adopt a high performance work ethic.”
He added:“My government will have no tolerance for bureaucratic slothfulness, which is quick to brandish procedures as an excuse for stalling service delivery to citizens, investors and other stakeholders.” – The Source