‘Nothing wrong with ministers’ presence at Amai’s rallies’ Prof Moyo
Prof Moyo

Prof Moyo

Herald Reporters
Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has defended ministers accompanying the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe on her countrywide tour, saying this has given them an opportunity to interact with the people.
The Daily News yesterday said Amai Mugabe’s rallies had dealt a major blow to Government business as ministers abandoned their workstations to attend the “whistle-stop tours”.

The article said Cabinet ministers including Environment, Water and Climate Minister Saviour Kasukuwere; Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo; Dr Ignatius Chombo (Local Government, Public Works and National Housing), Oppah Muchinguri (Gender), Eunice Sandi-Moyo (Bulawayo Metropolitan Province), Edna Madzongwe (Senate president), and Dr Olivia Muchena (Higher Education) had attended almost all the rallies.

Prof Moyo said work done by Ministers did not take place in the office only, adding that they had to multi-task to fully deliver their mandates.
“It shows that there is genuine interest in what Government ministers are doing, but of course the manner the complaint has been made suggests that there are some people out there who think that the work done by ministers takes place in the office or is done in some air-conditioned office in some building in Harare,” he said.

“That is very incorrect. Ministers work all over the country and in any case, these days it is important not to do just one thing, we have to multi task and be able to discharge our constitutional responsibilities wherever we are within the country. It does not mean that when you are not in Harare you are not working.”

Prof Moyo said the story of the moment has to do with preparations for the forthcoming Zanu-PF National People’s Congress in December.
In light of this, he said, the nomination of Amai Mugabe to assume leadership of the Women’s League at the Congress had generated public interest.

“There is genuine interest within our nation in that Congress because it is an elective Congress and also because it is the Congress of the ruling party, the party that forms Government,” Prof Moyo said.

“It stands to reason that what the ruling party does, the policies it formulates, find expression in Government and within the preparations of this Congress one issue that has attracted wide spread public interest is the nomination of the First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe as the incoming secretary for women’s affairs of the women’s wing of the ruling party.”

He went on: “Most of our policies, the issues have found expression within that nomination that has been supported not only by the Women’s League of the party, but also by the national Youth League of the party. It should, therefore, not surprise anyone as she travels around the country.”

Prof Moyo said the First Lady was “meeting and listening” to the people during her rallies.
“These have not been just meetings where the First Lady as the incoming secretary of the women’s affairs is talking to crowds. She has been listening to them. The people have taken advantage of this opportunity as a platform to express their grievances, express concern that some among us are preoccupying themselves with the ongoing jostling for positions.”

Prof Moyo said the rallies were God sent to the people as they had made it convenient for them to interact with Government Ministers.
“There were certain issues that they would like to see addressed everyday and it has been quite convenient, therefore, for us as Government Ministers who have been accompanying the First Lady to hear first hand what these issues are,” he said.

“We don’t just hear them through one ear and go out through another ear. We hear them and obviously take them into account. We are pleased that we have had the platform and we are using it.”

Prof Moyo said Amai Mugabe’s entrance into politics had opened the gates for “feeding back into the policy making process.”
“We are not the only party which tries to find ways of combining the national policy processes with the political processes,” he said.

“Just the other week, we saw the political parties in Britain having their conferences and having people going out of the so-called offices into the communities interacting with the public so that government can act accordingly.

“So, we are very pleased and we have no apology to make. We are the ruling party and that our incoming secretary of women’s affairs is out working with the people and we are taking full advantage of that and she is providing good leadership and has created a great opportunity.”

Prof Moyo said some sections of the media were distorting the First Lady’s statements, giving a blind eye to what the people were saying to her and her responses.

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