Tendai Keith Guvamombe
President Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe executed a decisive, immediate shake-up in his Cabinet yesterday, 08 December 2025, by removing Winston Chitando as a Cabinet Minister.
The shock announcement, made by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr. M Rushwaya , cited constitutional provisions, specifically Section 340 (1f) as read with Section 108 (1a).
This removal comes barely hours after the now-former Minister Chitando chaired a strategic planning workshop for his ministry, marking a sudden end to his tenure in the crucial mining portfolio.
In a rapid succession of appointments, President Mnangagwa immediately filled the vacant post, naming Polite Kambamura as the new Minister of Mines and Mining Development, in terms of Section 104(1) of the Constitution.
Kambamura, who previously served as Deputy Minister in the same ministry, is a professional mining engineer and an experienced politician. His promotion is seen as a move to ensure continuity and leverage his deep technical knowledge of Zimbabwe’s mineral-rich sector.
This reshuffle is a clear demonstration of President Mnangagwa’s executive authority to hire and fire his ministers and signals a determined focus on the performance and trajectory of the critical mining sector.
The change thrusts Minister Kambamura into the hot seat at a time when Zimbabwe is aggressively pursuing its $12 billion mining economy target, making his immediate task to build investor confidence and drive sector growth a top priority.
The swiftness of the dismissal and appointment underscores the seriousness with which the Presidency views performance in key economic ministries.
