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Elliot Ziwira Senior Writer
I used to think that ministers were indispensable professionals; that Cabinet was a club where individuals meet to discuss the fate of citizens over glasses of whiskey and in whiffs of rich cigar smoke, that politics was some kind of self-enriching enterprise for the macho, and that all presidents were meant to hold office for life.

There is so much that I didn’t know, and in my lack of knowledge I wanted to know more, especially when at school we had to know ministers of this ministry or that, presidents of this country or that, capital cities and all that, so I would read, read and read; newspapers, magazines, books.

But if books could not give me the answers to the many questions that boggled me, I would ask my brother Andrew, who had “eaten book”, to enlighten me.

Like the names of the capital cities in our Atlas at school, the names of the ministers did not seem to change, the name of the Prime Minister/President remained the same even though in some countries we read about, they seemed to change every now and then. I didn’t know much, but the inquisitive me wanted to know more, but if I pushed him too hard in my quest for knowledge, my brother Andy would look at me and say, “Shhhhhh! You will read more about it in secondary school.”

My brother was a manager, so he was supposed to know, but he said some issues were better left unknown. Maybe he also didn’t know, or he was afraid that I would end up knowing more than I was supposed to know. Just what is it that I was not supposed to know?

Politics, gentle reader, fellow countryman and kinsman, politics is such a steep terrain; and in such a terrain they stumble that run fast, to borrow from William Shakespeare.

Looking at the way our politics as a nation has been panning out over the years, I must say that yes, I didn’t know much, and I do not claim to know much either, but at least I can see because a layer has been peeled off my eyes. Something was rotten at the core of the Motherland, of that now am certain.

It is simply not true that mere mortals are indispensable and that ministers are permanent officers, as events of November 2017, which brought new meaning to the body politic of our nation, come to mind.

Only religious ministers can be considered permanent, but could it be so?

Thanks to the people’s army and President Mnangagwa, political talk is no longer taboo, and so many people have now “eaten book”, like my dear brother Andy (May his soul rest in eternal peace!), as they exhibit their knowledge, or lack thereof on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, uninhibited.

With no one shushing anyone into silence, everyone is now an expert of some sort that even as we espy the light at the end of the tunnel, they see doom and express it in “theoretical” terms; the doomsayers theory, which stipulates that there is always something wrong in everything right.

So ministers are only human, after all, and politics is not only for the macho? Yes, our servant leader attests to that through his appointment of an impressive Cabinet that blends the exuberance of youth and the wisdom of experience, where ability is measured not through political affiliation, gender or race, but through commitment and skill.

True to his word that politics should give reason a chance for the common good, the President concedes to Fanon’s imploration to the citizenry of the post-colonial nation state when he says: “Come, then comrades; it would be as well to decide at once to change our ways. We must shake off the heavy darkness in which we were plunged, and leave it behind. The new day which is already at hand must find us firm, prudent and resolute” (Fanon, 1967: 251).

Indeed, the new day is upon us, and that golden future time is conspicuous in our sight, what is only required is for us to support the Cabinet without digging deeper into individual profiles with that malicious eye for the speck in the nook. They are only human, like all of us, but it is our expectation that they deliver us from politics of patronage that has been the relentless flame at the core of our hopes.

It is sobering to reflect on the composition of the Cabinet, which gives impetus to the tilt towards economic recovery, rather than dwell on negativity. The bold statement that the President proclaims in the appointment of our Dream Team, is that after all we are one family; we are all Zimbabweans, whose cherished dream is to reach Utopia.

Yes, experience and political maturity are crucial, but that should not be construed to mean recycling individuals from one ministerial post to another regardless of track record.

Also, being of a particular age, or generation, is no guarantee of freshness or agility of mind, for maturity or lack thereof has nothing to do with age.

As more women, youthful citizens and technocrats join the political fray, they should strive to remain apolitical in their decisions and stay duty-bound for they are Zimbabweans first, and, therefore, mirror the Zimbabwean dream in their visions. It calls for boldness, integrity, honesty and accountability for our shared vision to come to fruition.

It is refreshing to see new faces, more of the fairer sex among them, but the focus should be on delivery and shift towards servant leadership as the President reiterated in his inauguration speech.

We as Zimbabweans should applaud ourselves for playing a part in the shaping of our destiny, not least by being inquisitive.