A recent tweet from former Minister Walter Mzembi has ignited a discussion about the effectiveness of internal government processes and the power of public pressure in driving policy change.
Mzembi, reflecting on his time in Cabinet, shared a striking anecdote about tackling the issue of excessive roadblocks by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (@PoliceZimbabwe).
According to Mzembi, after failing to secure a resolution within Cabinet on the matter, he made the unconventional decision to “take it to the public gallery.”
This move, he states, was met with “vicious” opposition from within government circles, yet he “stood his ground in the interest of decent public policing and tourists.”
Mzembi reveals that a Visitor Exit Survey had highlighted the significant negative impact of these roadblocks, providing crucial data to support his stance.
The outcome, as Mzembi describes it, was a victory for public engagement. “It worked, the public sorted it out,” he tweeted. He further asserted that “the President listened to his biggest constituency, the Voters, not his Ministers.”
This revelation is particularly pertinent in the current political climate, following a public spat between the Minister of Youth Tino Machakaire, and the Minister of Health regarding the state of the healthcare system.
This public disagreement, along with reports of Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube visiting the Natpharm warehouse instead of local public hospitals to assess the dire situation firsthand, has fueled public frustration and highlighted perceived disconnects within the government.
