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Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Mr Justin Mupamhanga greets Harare Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Mirriam Chikukwa during the Cabinet ministers’ induction at Munhumutapa Building in Harare yesterday as other Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs, among them Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Flora Buka, look on

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NEWLY sworn-in Cabinet ministers have started working on the visions for their respective ministries after Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda yesterday briefed them on Government operations and their responsibilities.Dr Sibanda was assisted by Civil Service Commission chairman Dr Mariyawanda Nzuwah, who appraised the ministers on the human resources element and Director-General in the President’s Office Retired Major General Happyton Bonyongwe who briefed them on security issues.

Dr Sibanda told the ministers to start working on the vision before the first Cabinet sitting expected soon.  Ministers of State for the 10 provinces and deputy ministers also went through the familiarisation briefing after the ministers’ session. Speaking after the briefing, Dr Sibanda said work had already begun for the ministers.

“It is normal that after appointments we brief them on their responsibilities in terms of what has been done to the ministries they are going to go to, work that has been done and what awaits them.

“We were also telling them the work ahead, for instance they have to organise strategic workshops for their ministries so that they work out their visions and missions and define core values and clients charters for their ministries.

“We also had a draft working paper for them, the new socio-economic framework document that was done by officials which we would want ministers to look at before it is approved by Cabinet. It is a way to say that we have started business,” he said.

“The briefing for deputy ministers will be to tell them how they should be working with their ministers as well as heads of ministries. For the ministers, that was a familiarisation kind of briefing, not an induction because most of them were here before, merely briefing them on what is expected of them.”

Added Dr Sibanda: “Some of them wanted clarification where they were not sure. There were certain areas where we need to refine where there are some seeming duplications, but we will finalise that with the clearance of the President.’’

A source who attended the briefing said the ministers were now aware of the dos and don’ts of Government operations.
“Structurally, ministers had their portfolios interpreted. As you are aware, we reduced the ministries from 33 to 24.

We have cases where some ministries are now a result of the merging of two ministries. We even have one ministry which is a result of the merging of three ministries meaning those ministers will get briefings from three permanent secretaries to have a fuller picture of the new portfolio.

“Some ministries have lost certain key components while others now have some elements. This tells that there was a lot of re-arrangement in terms of portfolio allocation in Government and it means the ministers need to be briefed enough.”

The Government blueprint, the source said, would guide the ministries for the next five years.
“Apparently, lots of preliminary work was done well before the election to create a framework for the agenda of the incoming Zanu-PF Government,” said the source.

“I cannot share with you the details, but I can assure you there is already a framework in place with inputs from the private sector apart from Government itself.

“Of importance is that the ministers have been told to work out visions and there has been a timetable that before the next Cabinet sitting, the ministries should retreat to work visions for themselves.”

President Mugabe this week appointed a leaner, 24-member Cabinet that was whittled down by collapsing and merging several ministries, and abolishing some.