President Mnangagwa appoints new CIO director, perm secs
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has with immediate effect appointed Zimbabwe ambassador to South Africa and Lesotho Isaac Moyo as the new director-general of the country’s spy agency – Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) replacing Retired Major General Happyton Bonyongwe.
Bonyongwe was appointed Justice minister by former President Robert Mugabe in a witch-hunt mini-Cabinet reshuffle targeted at weeding out suspected Mnangagwa backers at the height of the Zanu PF factional fighting.
Chief secretary to the President and Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda said the President had in terms of section 226, subsection (1) of the Constitution, appointed Moyo, taking over from deputy director-general Aaron Nhepera, who was acting since Bonyongwe’s departure in October.
Moyo was appointed ambassador to South Africa in September 2014 after a stint as executive secretary of the African Union committee of intelligence and security service in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mnangagwa also appointed and re-assigned 21 permanent secretaries for the reconfigured government ministries, with under-fire secretary for Higher Education, Science and Technology Development Francis Gudyanga replaced by Desire Mutize Sibanda formerly secretary for Youth.
Gudyanga and his 13 subordinates were recently booted out of Parliament after they failed to adequately answer questions pertaining to a report on the ministry’s shambolic accounts.
Mnangagwa also re-assigned George Magosvongwe to Local Government, Public Works and National Housing replacing George Mlilo, who has moved to the Transport and Infrastructural Development ministry. Grace Mutandiro, formerly Lands secretary, became secretary for Environment, Water and Climate while Judith Kateera became secretary for Presidential Affairs, Monitoring and Implementation of Government Programmes. Former secretary for Environment Prince Mupazviriho moved to Sport, Arts and Recreation while Munesushe Munodawafa was assigned to the Mines and Mining Development ministry.
Defence secretary Martin Rushwaya, Virginia Mabiza (Justice), Sylvia Utete-Masango (Primary and Secondary Education), Joey Bimha (Foreign Affairs and International Trade) and Willard Manungo (Finance and Economic Development) retained their positions in their respective ministries.
Others who also survived were Melusi Matshiya (Home Affairs and Culture), Ngoni Masoka (Labour and Social Welfare), Abigail Shonhiwa (Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development), George Charamba (Information, Media and Broadcasting Services), Gerald Gwinji (Health and Child Care), Sam Kundishora (ICT and Cyber Security), Sibusisiwe Zembe (Women and Youth Affairs), Thokozile Chitepo (Tourism) and Ringson Chitsiko (Rural Resettlement).
