APA-Harare (Zimbabwe) Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed a new cabinet in which he retained respected economist Mthuli Ncube as finance minister and named his son and nephew as deputy ministers.
Ncube was one of nine ministers who retained their portfolios in a 26-member cabinet announced by Mnangagwa on Monday.
Other ministers who retained their positions are Fredrick Shava (Foreign Affairs), Oppah Muchinguri (Defence). Kazembe Kazembe (Home Affairs), Ziyambi Ziyambi (Justice), Mangaliso Ndlovu (Environment), Amon Murwira (Higher Education), Felix Mhona (Transport) and Kirsty Coventry (Sports).
Mnangagwa relieved Vice President Constantino Chiwenga of his dual role as health minister and replaced him with Douglas Mombeshora as the new minister.
He also named Soda Zhemu as new minister of mines and replaced him with Edgar Moyo as minister of energy.
Former mines minister Winston Chitando is the new local government minister after July Moyo was shunted to public service, labour and social welfare.
Former information minister Monica Mutsvangwa is now in charge of women affairs and small and medium enterprise, with her old portfolio now occupied by Jennifan Muswere, who was formerly the information and communication technology minister.
Her husband, Christopher Mutsvangwa, takes charge of a new ministry of veterans of liberation.
Mnangagwa also named his son, David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa as deputy finance minister and his nephew Tongai Mnangagwa as deputy tourism minister.
The appointment of the cabinet comes days after Mnangagwa appointed Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi as vice presidents on September 8.
It also comes a week after Mnangagwa was inaugurated for a second five-year term on September 4 following disputed elections held at the end of August.
JN/APA