Monica Mutsvangwa

Political career

Mutsvangwa argued that she became politically active at a tender age of 15 fighting against the Rhodesian government led by Ian Smith. She is therefore a war veteran.

After Independence in 1980, Mutsvangwa claimed that she never betrayed the party and thus she worked as a diplomat in Windhoek (Namibia), Brussels (Australia) and New York (USA). ^[2] On 16 March 2012, she was sworn in as the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, assuming the position left by Tracy Mutinhiri, who was accused of working against the interests of the party.^[2] Prior to her appointment as the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Mutsvangwa was a senator for the Mutare-Chimaninani area.

On 26 September 2013, Mutsvangwa was elected to be the Chairperson of Women Parliamentary Caucus, replacing Beata Nyamupinga who had been the leader of the Caucus for four consecutive years.^[3] Mutsvangwa defeated Constance Tsomondo-Shamu.^[3]

At a meeting to celebrate World Radio Day commemorations held in Mutare in February 2019, organised by the Mutare based Kumakomo Community Radio Station (KCRS) initiative, under the theme, “Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace.” Mayor Councillor Blessing Tandi, spoke, Radio to the people is necessary. However, the media should be impartial and put the interests of the community first. As media you should not abuse your powers as well but be apolitical, which is why community radios are important as they are not owned by government or private entities.” Radio serves as a more convenient information sharing platform citing that it was more popular and easily accessible than television because of its wide reach.
The licensing of community radio stations in Zimbabwe is provided for in the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA), under a three-tier broadcasting system comprising, public, commercial and community broadcasting. Community radio stations are however still to be licensed and legally recognised in Zimbabwe since the enactment of the BSA in 2001. Currently, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) has only licensed national and regional commercial and public radio stations. Successive ministers during the Robert Mugabe era refused to entertain discussions on licensing of community radio stations and maintained a repressive approach to media freedoms, but the new dispensation government has opened up to dialogue after the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Senator Monica Mutsvangwa last year (2018) revealed Government’s intentions to amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and Broadcasting Services Act to accommodate the licensing of community radio stations among many other media reforms. In February 2019, Cabinet repealed AIPPA to align laws to the Constitution. The repeal of AIPPA will give rise to three legal instruments - the Access to Information Bill, the Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill and the Protection of Personal Information/Data Protection Bill.
KCRS coordinator Trevor Mtisi said since they acquired their deed of trust in 2006 they have been pushing for licensing but sadly can only operate through social media platforms, production of CDs with educative programmes and community outreach programmes. According to the independent media advocacy watchdog, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe, community radio stations are a necessity and the best medium that can promote culture and ethnic languages of marginalised communities. Zimunya’s Ward 32 councillor Herbert Gonyora encouraged communities to support community radio initiatives citing how they helped his ward to mainstream developmental issues and constructively debate on them. He also urged government to strongly consider licensing of community radio stations. ^[4]

Nomination Court 2023

The ZEC list of candidates for the August 2023 elections for Manicaland Province have been released. ^[5]

Senate

Senate

CCC	DUZ	MDC-T	Zanu PF
Keresencia Chabuka	Portia Toopera	Edith Baipai	Irene Zindi
David Antony Chimhini	Charles Muchineripi Mutama	Benevolence Taisekwa-Tandayi	Michael Reuben Nyambuya
Jane Chitsamba	Maria Chikwara	Getrude Moyo	Monica Mutsvangwa
Itayi Masaka	Barnabas Chingono	Shepard Maisiri	Tongesayi Shad Chipanga
Mary Kuhudzai	Rose Muguza	Linety Nyanhanda	Josephine Gandiya
Godfrey Svosve Mubatsa	Gilbert Gapara	Julius Ndhlovu	William Mutomba

Minister 2023

Following the 23-24 August 2023 elections, President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced his new cabinet on 11 September 2023. The Women’s Affairs Community Small and Medium Enterprises (with a new name) is headed by Monica Mutsvangwa with deputy Jennifer Mhlanga. ^[6]

Factionalism in ZanuPF (2014 - 2016)

Fierce Fighting with Didymus Mutasa

In November 2013, Mutsvangwa was defeated by John Mvundura who became the Chairman of Manicaland Province although he was expelled in November 2014 for being sympathetic to Joice Mujuru who was reported to be fanning factionalism within ZANU PF as well as orchestrating Mugabe's removal from power.^[7] Mutsvangwa fingered Mutasa as being the main culprit whom she accused of rigging the elections to necessitate Mvundura's victory.

In the wake of these elections, Mutasa argued that, Mutsvangwa was not fit to contest for a seat in the Central Committee during the 2014 elections as she had resigned as a member of the Committee when she was eyeing to be the Chairman for the Manicaland Province. Mutasa signed a letter which was read at the party's Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting in June 2014 indicating that Mutsvangwa had forfeited her Central Committee position by contesting against Mvundura.^[7] Responding to this, Mutsvangwa stated that Mutasa was on a mission to dismiss her and the letter was one of his dirty tricks. She was quoted saying,

I can assure you l will teach those male chauvinists a lesson they will never forget. It’s a matter of record that in the tough 2008 elections they all lost and l won for ZANU PF. I have been in this political game since the tender age of 15 against racist and colonial Rhodesia. ZANU PF has no place for gender bigotry^[7]

Mnangagwa who was the then Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, who was appointed to be the Vice President of Zimbabwe after the 6th Congress of ZANU PF held in December 2014, intervened and resolved the matter. He stated that Mutsvangwa was still a member of the Central Committee dismissing Mutasa's views.^[8] For being loyal to Mnangagwa, Mutsvanga was appointed to be the Deputy Secretary for Information and Publicity after the party's 6th Congress held in December.

Death Threats

On 25 October 2014, Mutsvangwa made sensational disclosures that she had received threats for questioning senior party officials belonging to the Mujuru faction on their intended purpose for fanning factionalism within the party.^[9] Speaking at the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Collaborators Association (ZILIWACO)8th anniversary held in Odzi, she said,

You will not kill me. You will never kill all of us. I am not afraid of dying. I have been intimidated on many occasions that if l come to Manicaland l will die l am not afraid^[9]

Vote of No Confidence for disrespecting First Lady

As differences emerged between the Lacoste and G40 factions it became clear what faction the Mutsvangwas belonged to. In November 2015 Monica Mutsvangwa, was accused of participating in an illegal meeting that tried to overturn a vote of no confidence that had been passed on Happiness Nyakuedzwa^[10] who was herself accused of fanning factionalism and disrespecting the First Lady Grace Mugabe.^[11]

In December 2015, the Zanu-PF Women’s League passed a vote of no confidence in Mutsvangwa, its spokesperson. The league recommended her expulsion from the party for pushing factional politics and "disrespecting First Lady Grace Mugabe".^[12] Secretary for Administration Espinah Nhari also got a vote of no confidence and expulsion recommendation at at the same time for also allegedly fanning factionalism. The decision was made during a meeting held at the Zanu-PF headquarters which was chaired by Grace Mugabe. The move was considered a major blow to the Emmerson Mnangagwa Faction as it became increasingly clear that the first lady was preparing herself for more power in Zanu-PF politics.

2016 Three Year Suspension from Zanu-PF & Dismissal from Cabinet

In a politburo meeting held on 3 March 2016 in Harare, Monica Mutsvangwa was suspended for 3 years for gross misconduct and disloyalty. Her husband Chris Mutsvangwa and Women’s Affairs secretary for Administration Espinah Nhari were also suspended in the same meeting.

Being suspended members they would not be allowed to hold any positions in the party during the 3 years. The two Mutsvangwas would however remain Zanu-PF Senator for Manicaland sand National Assembly members for Norton, respectively.^[13]. They would thus become ordinary members of the party.

Days later, on 5 March, President Mugabe dismissed Monica Mutsvangwa from cabinet as Deputy Minister of Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion.

Tribal Remarks Aimed at Bishop Robert Ndlovu

Monica Mutsvangwa's "tribal connotative" utterances aimed at the head of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) Archbishop Robert Christopher Ndlovu after Catholic bishops issued a blistering pastoral letter, citing human rights abuses and rampant corruption as the major causes of the current social, economic and political crisis in the country. The media bodies led by MISA Zimbabwe through their chairperson, Golden Maunganidze, implored “politicians, more so those tasked with communicating government positions to use temperate and measured language while being tolerant of constructive criticism and divergent views.

In her strongly worded response to the pastoral letter, Minister Mutsvangwa singled out and accused Bishop Robert Christopher Ndlovu, ZCBC president, of leading the bishops on the pathway of petty tribalism, narrow regionalism and racial antagonism. MISA Zimbabwe’s great concern in that regard, is informed by the minister’s proximity to the media, more so as it pertains to the public media, which, as is expected with all other media, should guard against being the purveyors of hate language.^[14]

In her response to the pastoral letter, Mutsvangwa said, “With nefarious cynicism to history, Archbishop Robert Christopher Ndlovu is inching to lead the Zimbabwe Catholic congregation into the darkest dungeons of Rwanda-type genocide. The letter seeks the revival and continuation of the perennial vices of division. It has a selective and warp-sided reading of history.

“The errant and evil Bishop has a nauseating mental amnesia of the blight of minority settler rule and its baggage of exploitative racism against the totality of the black majority popular of Zimbabwe. The levity of his mental amnesia is worsened by the fact that he tears off pages of the progressive crusade for justice and democracy that has hitherto been the shining virtue of the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe.”

She also said, “…He wants to posit as the leader of righteous Ndebele minority by fanning the psychosis of tribal victimization. Concurrently he sows sins of collective guilty on the Shona majority. That way he seeks to numb the spirit of collective national vigilance against the known and proven enemies of the populace of Zimbabwe.

“His transgressions acquire a geopolitical dimensions as the chief priest of the agenda of Regime Change that is the hallmark of the post-imperial major Western powers for the last two decades.”

Archbishop Ndlovu has not responded to Mutsvangwa’s remarks. The pastoral letter has been supported by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Law Society of Zimbabwe and several other non-profit organizations, individuals, opposition parties and ministers of religion.

Plot against Oppah Muchinguri

According to the Children of Zimbabwe War Veterans Association Platform on Twitter, an informer reached out to them accusing Minister of Information, Monica Mutsvangwa of sending Simba Chikanza to record a telephone interview with intention to expose & politically destroy Minister of Defence Oppah Muchinguri over serious factional wars.

Mutsvangwa's are said to be bitter over Vice President & Minister of Health Rtd Gen Constantine Chiwenga accusing them of bringing the Covid-19 Vaccine from China and distributed to his inner circle. Chikanza is overhead asking investigative & leading questions which he is said to hav got from Monica Mutsvangwa. Zanu PF is said to be in serious factional succession fights and Monica Mutsvangwa is reportedly fighting Party national Chair & Manicaland Province Political giant Oppah Muchinguri with the bid to control the province.

According to their source, Chikanza and Mutsvangwa are close allies and this is not the first time he has done this. Last time he called VP Chiwenga and recorded the conversation with his top aid. Of late Chikanza is being accused of being used to target Rtd Gen Chiwenga and his close allies.^[15]

Trivia

On 25 May 2012, Ronald Matatabikwa of Knowtown News Pvt Ltd threw a party at Ngoni Stadium in Norton for Mutsvangwa to celebrate her elevation.^[16]

References