President Mnangagwa yesterday bestowed awards on distinguished ministers, permanent secretaries and heads of other government departments as the Second Republic continues to foster a culture of excellence, work ethics and servant leadership in its pursuit of Vision 2030.
President Mnangagwa initiated the signing of performance contracts, with government officials and heads of parastatals signing portfolio-specific contracts.
Among the most prominent winners was the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr. Anxius Masuka, who took first place as the best performing Cabinet Minister for the second time in a row.
This comes as the Second Republic makes efforts to protect the general citizenry from drought caused by climate change.
Minister of Higher Education, Innovation, Science and Technological Development, Professor Amon Murwira, ranked second in the Ministers category.
Among the Permanent Secretaries of Higher Education, Higher Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Permanent Secretary Professor Fanuel Tagwira came first, while his counterpart for Women, Community Affairs and Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Ms Mavis Sibanda, came second.
In the Provincial Affairs and Delegation Ministers category, Midlands Provincial Minister Owen Ncube took first place, while Mashonaland West State Minister Marian Chombo came in second place.
In the Regional Affairs and Delegation Secretaries category, Mr. Paul Nyonyi from Bulawayo Province came in first place, and Mr. Edgars Senza from the Midlands Province came in second place.
Among the Executive Secretaries of the Independent Commissions, the best performer was Ms. Sukai Tongogara of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, while Ms. Sibusisiwe Zimbi of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission received the runner-up award.
In the category of Chief Executive Officers/Town Clerks of Urban Local Authorities, Masvingo Engineer Edward Mukaraterwa bagged first place, Victoria Falls City Council Clerk Mr Ronnie Dube bagged second place and Mforwi City Council Dr Shelley Nyakudya bagged second place.
Among the mayors of urban local authorities, Tonderai Samho of Mvurwi City Council was the best performer, Albert Zinhanga of Kwekwe City Council came in second place, and Alderman Ndlovu of Plumtree City Council came in second place.
Mr Itai Mawonde from Mhondoro Ngezi took first place for the best performing CEOs of rural authorities, while Tariro Matavire from Chivi Rural District Council came in second place.
In the Rural District Council Chairs category, Mundoro District Councilor Ngezi came in first place, Marondera Rural District Councilor Jeremiah Gwanzura came in second place, and H Muzaini of Mutare Rural District Council came in second place.
Among the CEOs of the State-Owned Enterprises category, Mr Tinutunda Miko from the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) took first place, Quinton Kanhukamwe from Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) came in second place and Engineer Sebastian Marume from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund took second place. He won the second runner-up award.
Mr Irvine Craig from the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) was the best performer among the SOE heads, Engineer F Mafia from HIT was the first runner-up and Ms Clara Mlambo from ZimTrade was the second runner-up.
In his remarks, President Mnangagwa said performance contracts are essential to foster a culture that prioritizes meeting the aspirations and expectations of Zimbabweans, while ensuring that no person or place is left behind.
“They must always ensure that no person or place is left behind. Performance contracts have been aligned with the priority policy areas announced following the 2023 harmonized general elections.
“This will ensure that government ministries, departments and agencies are geared accordingly to meet the expectations and aspirations of the people of our great motherland, Zimbabwe,” he said.
The President said that he will continue to implement measures that enhance accountability and transparency until maximum efficiency is reached in his administration.
“Since we began our performance contracting journey in 2021, there has been progress in the use and institutionalization of the tool, across the public sector.
“Therefore, the government will pursue the reform agenda until public sector institutions, systems and processes reach maximum efficiency, which is commensurate with service delivery requirements and people’s expectations,” he said.
Announcing the results, Principal Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr. Martin Rushwaya, said there was a marked improvement in commitment and keenness to achieve the set goals.
“It is clear that the professionalism of our public servants played a major role in achieving these positive results.
“However, there are still areas where we need to improve. It is essential that we continue to focus on improving our performance information, i.e. outputs, results, KPIs and targets, bearing in mind that Vision 2030 should be achieved much earlier than planned. This This means that business culture and implementation strategies must be recalibrated.
Dr. Rashweya also called on urban local authorities to increase their efforts in providing services.
Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC), Dr. Vincent Hongwe, has appealed to all public sector workers to strive to meet the diverse and ever-changing demands and expectations of the general citizenry.
He said: “It is necessary that we, as government employees, adhere to the highest standards of performance and accountability.” Announce
