By Staff Reporter
HARARE — President Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed Cabinet ministers to tighten discipline, improve efficiency and prioritise delivery, warning that bureaucratic inertia and unnecessary ceremonial activities will no longer be tolerated.
Opening the first Cabinet meeting of 2026, Mnangagwa said commissioning events and related functions must be strategic and nationally significant, cautioning ministers against routinely calling on the Presidency to officiate at activities that fall squarely within their own mandates.
“Members should not expect me, as President, to do their work for them. Sporadic or ad-hoc requests and invitations concerning commissioning events and other related functions will not be accommodated,” he said.
The President said his direct involvement should be reserved for projects of clear national importance, while routine ministry business must be handled at appropriate administrative and political levels.
“Ministries, Departments and Agencies are duty-bound to submit to the Chief Secretary’s Office timely schedules of key projects and programmes that may require me to officiate. These must be of strategic national importance and not routine Ministry business,” Mnangagwa said.
He challenged Cabinet to accelerate decision-making and implementation, identifying delayed approvals and unprocessed documents as a major obstacle to effective governance and economic progress.
“I challenge Members of Cabinet to take this onerous responsibility with seriousness, diligence and vigour. Failure to make decisions and the culture of ‘sitting on documents’ will not be condoned,” he said.
Mnangagwa said government performance must ultimately be measured by its ability to facilitate investment, deliver services and improve citizens’ quality of life, noting that investors and communities rely on timely approvals and coordinated public sector action.
He also called for stronger inter-ministerial coordination, stressing that Zimbabwe’s economy requires a whole-of-government approach to unlock growth across key sectors.
“The inter-connected nature of our economy remains essential to leverage the growth of sectors such as agriculture, mining, infrastructure development, energy, tourism and manufacturing,” he said.
“Our approach must reflect maturity and not petty competitiveness.”
The President said all ministries must align their work to a single national vision anchored in the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), warning against bureaucratic rigidity, inflated egos and institutional lethargy within Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
“We are answerable to the people of our great motherland, Zimbabwe. Accountable governance must be encouraged going forward,” he said.
