Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been accused of nepotism after he appointed his son David Kudakwashe minister in his new cabinet following his re-election in August.
Mnangagwa appointed a new set of ministers including his son, after he was sworn in as President in the aftermath of the controversial presidential election.
He made Kudakwashe, deputy finance minister in the youth quota of Zimbabwe’s parliament.
According to local media reports, Mnangagwa also issued a ministerial appointment to his nephew, Tongai Mnangagwa, as deputy tourism minister.
He re-appointed his party Zanu-PF’s national chairperson, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, as defense minister, and ex-banker Mthuli Ncube as finance minister.
Zimbabwe’s main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) lawmaker, Fadzayi Mahere, has tagged the ministerial appointment list as “indefensible” and also accused President Mnangagwa of nepotism.
Her tweet reads, “Quite frankly, your cabinet is indefensible. It’s a toxic mix of illegitimacy, corruption, violence, nepotism & incompetence, sex scandals, – everything but the ethical leadership Zimbabweans want & deserve. No wonder the national mood is so funereal.”
Some Zimbabwean citizens have also taken to social media to express their disappointment over the ministerial appointment.
Supporters of the president have defended the appointment, saying Mnangagwa’s son meets the qualifications for the position. The presidency nor the ruling party has responded to the accusation.
According to official figures, he received over 53% of the vote in a presidential election that international observers deemed undemocratic.
Nearly two-thirds of the parliamentary votes went to his Zanu-PF party, triggering Mnangagwa’s biggest rival, CCC’s Nelson Chamisa’s demand for new elections.