Members of 5 commissions sworn-in
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday swore-in members of five commissions, two of which are tribunals to investigate allegations of impropriety against three members of the Zimbabwe Land Commission and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission ( ZACC).
The swearing-in ceremony took place at State House and was witnessed by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and other senior Government officials.
Three commissions whose members took oaths of office are the Zimbabwe Media Commission, the Civil Service Commission and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission.
Professor Ruby Magosvongwe, who will chair the Zimbabwe Media Commission, was the first to take her oath of office followed by the other commissioners — Ms Dumisani Mashingaidze, Mrs Susan Makore, Ms Miriam Tose Majome, Major Edward Mbewe (Retired), Mr Tanaka Muganyi, Dr Phillip Pasirayi, Mr Jasper Maposa and Mr Aleck Ncube.
Prof Magosvongwe holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree from the University of Cape Town.
She is also a holder of a Graduate Certificate in Education, BA General and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Zimbabwe ( UZ).
She is currently the director of information and public relations at UZ.
Ms Mashingaidze, a lawyer by profession, holds a Master of Business Administration ( MBA), a Bachelor of Laws ( LLB) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Women’s Law, all from UZ.
Mr Muganyi and Ms Majome also hold law degrees, among other qualifications.
Mrs Makore, the group chief executive for AB Communications, holds a Master of Arts degree in Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Natal, a Bachelor of Arts Degree ( UZ) and a post graduate Diploma in Media and Communications Studies ( UZ), among others.
Mr Maphosa is a lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University ( GZU), who holds a Master of Science degree in Media and Society Studies and a BSc Media and Society Studies Honours degree.
Major Mbewe (Retired) holds a Master of Science degree in Development Studies, degree in English BA and Communications among others while Dr Pasirayi holds a Doctor of Philosophy ( DPhil) Degree in International Development from the University of Oxford ( UK) and a Master of Law ( LLM) in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law from the University of Lancaster ( UK).
In an interview, Prof Magosvongwe said the commission would work to reduce polarisation in the media industry.
“My desire is that we promote greater cohesion and peace in our country through the media because there has been so much polarisation in the press,” she said.
She added that there was need to promote in the media all 16 official languages as provided for in the Constitution to reduce marginalisation of some communities.
Members of the ZHRC that were sworn-in are Commissioners Angeline Guvamombe, Dorothy Moyo, Beauty Kajese, Owen Dziva and Brian Penduka.
Speaking on behalf of the commissioners, Mrs Guvamombe said they would do their work diligently as provided for by the Constitution.
The new deputy chairperson of the Civil Service Commission, Dr Nomathemba Ndiweni Masuku, also took her oath of office.
She said she was honoured to be appointed to the position.
“It’s a very heavy appointment but I will do my best to step and serve
the nation. The CSC is looking particularly at Government capacitation of the human resources and that we don’t have a wasteful civil service but rather we have appropriate appointments at the appropriate level and doing the right job,” Dr Ndiweni-Masuku said.
She also said promoting gender parity in the civil service was a critical task she would work on achieving.
Retired Justice Maphios Cheda was appointed chairperson of the tribunal to investigate the deputy chairperson of the Zimbabwe Land Commission, Mr Tadious Muzoroza and commissioner Jeanette Marrie Manjengwa.
Muzoroza and Manjengwa are accused of allegedly co-authoring and uploading onto the World Bank Conference website, an abstract which painted a negative picture of the country’s land reform programme in respect of the land tenure and allocation of land to women, youths and farm workers.
It is alleged the abstract made reference to the Zimbabwe Land Commission’s National Comprehensive
Land Audit Phase One Report.
The other members of the tribunal are Telecel Zimbabwe chief executive Ms Angeline Vere and Gweru lawyer Mr Godfrey Mutseyekwa.
Retired High Court Judge Justice Nicholas Ndou, who will chair the tribunal to investigate allegations of misconduct against ZACC commissioner Frank Muchengwa, also took his oath of office.
University of Zimbabwe law lecturer Dr Tarisai Mutangi and lawyer Ms Clara Mapota are the other members of the tribunal who were also sworn-in.