Zimbabwe Government Performance Rankings
POWERLIST.AFRICA, POWERLIST 2026
Official Scorecard + People's Champion Edition
On 16 March 2026, President Mnangagwa stood at the Harare International Conference Centre and did something no Zimbabwean president has ever done with this level of precision: he publicly named his winners, ranked his Cabinet from top to bottom, and made every senior official in government sign a binding performance contract for the year ahead.
This is the PowerList. Two scores for every official. The Official Score reflects what the President's own evaluation found. The People's Score reflects what ordinary Zimbabweans are actually feeling — based on Afrobarometer polling, the SIVIO Institute Citizen Pulse Survey, and sector data that citizens live with every day.
Where the two scores match, you've found a genuine performer. Where they diverge, you've found the gap between ceremony and reality.
CATEGORY 1
CABINET MINISTERS
25 ministers evaluated. 20 met targets. 5 below but within range. Zero exceeded.
THE TOP TABLE
| Rank | Minister | Portfolio | Official Score | People's Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1st | Barbara Rwodzi | Tourism | 92 | 91 | A+ |
| 🥈 2nd | Dr. Anxious Masuka | Agriculture | 90 | 82 | A- |
| 🥉 3rd | Ziyambi Ziyambi | Justice | 82 | 58 | B+ |
| 4th | Felix Mhona | Transport | 84 | 76 | A- |
| 5th | Tino Machakaire | Youth | 71 | 89 | A- |
| 6th | Mthuli Ncube | Finance | 72 | 84 | A |
| ⬇ Demoted | Edgar Moyo | Moved from Energy | 35 | 22 | D |
| 🔥 Fired | Mutsvangwa | Veterans Affairs | 20 | 30 | F |
| 🌍 Elevated | Kirsty Coventry | IOC President | 65 | 12 | D+ |
🥇 #1 — BARBARA RWODZI · Tourism
BEST PERFORMING CABINET MINISTER 2025 · OFFICIAL: 92 · PEOPLE'S: 88 · GRADE: A · ★★★★★
What she was hired to do: Fill hotels, fill planes, bring dollars into Zimbabwe through tourism.
What she delivered:
- Forbes named Zimbabwe #1 Best Country to Visit in the World for 2025. First African nation ever.
- Tourist arrivals: 1.6 million in 2024. Q3 2025 alone: 520,751 visitors, up 15%.
- Tourism revenue: US$1.2 billion in 2024. New investment: US$190.5 million.
- Hotel occupancy jumped from 41% to 52.4%.
- Victoria Falls designated a Tourism Special Economic Zone and International Financial Centre.
- New routes launched: Ethiopian Airlines, Fly Namibia, Uganda Airlines, Fastjet Byo-Vic Falls.
- KAYAK recorded 80%+ increase in Bulawayo flight searches.
Why the people agree (88/100): Vic Falls and Bulawayo residents report visible job creation. New flights cut domestic travel costs. Tourism operators called 2025 their best year in a decade. The Forbes ranking gave Zimbabwe a global brand moment that even taxi drivers in Borrowdale talked about.
What's still hanging:
- Higher arrivals must convert to higher spend per visitor — volume without value is a trap.
- Vic Falls infrastructure under pressure: water, waste, conservation.
- US$10 billion target by 2030 means doubling current revenue.
🥈 #2 — DR. ANXIOUS MASUKA · Agriculture
RUNNER-UP 4 YEARS RUNNING · DUBAI BEST MINISTER AWARD · OFFICIAL: 90 · PEOPLE'S: 82 · GRADE: A- · ★★★★★
What he was hired to do: Feed Zimbabwe. Grow exports. Make the land productive.
What he delivered:
- Fourth consecutive top-two finish. Most consistent performer in the history of the system.
- Won the Best Minister Award at the World Governments Summit in Dubai. First Zimbabwean ever.
- Wheat: 639,942 MT — a 59-year record. Self-sufficiency achieved and surpassed (demand: 360,000 MT).
- Tobacco: 353 million kg worth US$1.17 billion. 53% volume surge. Single-day record: 7.2 million kg.
- Maize rebounded from El Niño disaster (635,000 MT) to 1.82 million MT — nearly tripled.
- Pfumvudza/Intwasa: 1,062,807 hectares, 3.5 million households, 5,294 extension workers.
- National cattle herd: 5.7 million.
Why the people score lower (82/100): Rural farmers credit him with better seed and fertiliser access. Urban consumers felt stable bread prices. But 7.6 million Zimbabweans were food insecure during the 2024 El Niño — that pain is fresh. The ZACC corruption probe (US$539,000) shadows the narrative.
What's still hanging:
- Irrigation: 217,000 ha achieved vs 350,000 ha target. Critically behind.
- ZACC investigation must resolve transparently or the entire brand is at risk.
- Next El Niño cycle will expose any gaps in climate resilience.
🥉 #3 — ZIYAMBI ZIYAMBI · Justice
OFFICIAL: 82 · PEOPLE'S: 58 · GRADE: B+ · ★★★★☆ · BIGGEST GAP BETWEEN OFFICIAL AND PEOPLE'S SCORE IN CABINET
What he was hired to do: Keep the justice system working. Pass laws. Protect rule of law.
What he delivered:
- Third among 25 ministers — notable for a portfolio with zero photographable deliverables.
- Represented Zimbabwe at the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (September 2025).
- Led SADC legal coordination efforts.
- Stewardship of Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3.
Why the people disagree (58/100): Justice is felt in its absence. Magistrates' civil backlogs surged 616% in 2025 (863 to 6,174 cases). Roughly 6,000 unconvicted people sit in prison awaiting trial. Only 80 judges and 250 magistrates serve 16 million people. The constitutional amendment debate divided opinion. His ranking reflects process competence; the people's score reflects what happens when you need a court date.
#4 — FELIX MHONA · Transport
BEST MINISTER 2024 (PREVIOUS CYCLE) · OFFICIAL: 84 · PEOPLE'S: 76 · GRADE: A- · ★★★★☆
What he was hired to do: Build roads. Fix airports. Move the economy.
The projects that earned this ranking:
| Project | Status | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Mbudzi Interchange | Commissioned May 2025 | US$88M · 15 bridges |
| Harare-Beitbridge Highway | 90%+ complete (529/585 km) | Zimbabwe's main trade corridor |
| RGM Airport Expansion | Fully operational | US$153M · 6M passenger capacity |
| Byo-Vic Falls Highway | 8.6% complete (37.5/440 km) | 8 contractors assigned |
| ZINARA Clean Audit | First ever achieved | Revenue doubled to ZWG 6.6B |
Why the people score 76: Motorists on the Beitbridge road feel the difference. Mbudzi killed Harare's worst bottleneck. But NRZ passenger trains remain dead since 2020. Zupco collapsed. Road quality degrades fast after completion. Byo-Vic Falls at 8.6% is embarrassing against a 2026 deadline.
#5 — JULY MOYO · Energy
OFFICIAL: 74 · PEOPLE'S: 42 · GRADE: B- · ★★★☆☆ · INHERITED THE CRISIS
What he was hired to do: End load-shedding. Expand generation. Electrify the country.
What he's working with:
- Hwange peak: record 1,176 MW (May 2025). National record: 1,619 MW.
- Hwange 7 and 8 generated 53% of Zimbabwe's total electricity in 2024.
- Jindal Africa signed US$455M concession for Hwange 1-6 rehabilitation.
- 18 power projects totaling ~4,000 MW in the pipeline.
Why the people are angry (42/100): Only 14% of Zimbabweans enjoy reliable electricity. Rural electrification: 34%. Load-shedding hit 17-18 hours daily in 2024. Citizens acknowledge Hwange 7 and 8 but say the lights are still off too often. Solar is unaffordable. Batoka Gorge (2,400 MW) has not broken ground after decades of promises.
#6 — MTHULI NCUBE · Finance
NEVER RANKED TOP 3 · OFFICIAL: 72 · PEOPLE'S: 38 · GRADE: B · ★★★☆☆
What he was hired to do: Stabilise money. Fund government. Clear debt. Attract investment.
The numbers:
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| ZIMRA revenue vs target | +10.26% (ZWG 116.47B collected) |
| Revenue-to-GDP ratio | Up from 11.5% to 13.0% |
| Annual inflation | 4.1% by Jan 2026 — first single digits in 29 years |
| ZiG stability | Longest stable period since 2019 |
| GDP (rebased) | US$45.7 billion |
| 2025 growth projection | 6.0-6.6% |
| Budget execution | Only 54% — nearly half never reaches implementation |
| Domestic arrears | Ballooned from US$34M to US$1.3 billion |
| Public debt | US$23.2 billion |
Why the people are unimpressed (38/100): Citizens live in a dollarised reality where ZiG acceptance is patchy. Job creation: 91% dissatisfied (Afrobarometer). Arrears clearance with the World Bank, AfDB, and EIB has stalled since 2000. The IMF projects growth at 3.5% — half the NDS2 target. Single-digit inflation is welcome but it doesn't put food on the table when you can't find work.
⬇ DEMOTED — EDGAR MOYO
MOVED FROM ENERGY TO PUBLIC SERVICE · JANUARY 2025 · OFFICIAL: 35 · PEOPLE'S: 02 · GRADE: F
What happened: Presided over the worst power crisis since independence. Load-shedding hit 17-18 hours. ZESA generated 935 MW against 1,800 MW demand. Reassigned 4 January 2025 — the clearest performance consequence in the entire Cabinet.
What he did next: Fired the entire NSSA board. Installed Charles Shava as CEO despite ranking 5th of 7 candidates and facing active criminal charges. Created a governance scandal on top of an energy scandal.
🔥 FIRED — CHRISTOPHER MUTSVANGWA
FIRED FEBRUARY 2024 · INSUBORDINATION · GRADE: F · PEOPLE'S: 30
Fired 3 February 2024 after reportedly demanding the State Security portfolio and clashing with the President. Replaced by Senator Monica Mavhunga. Retained ZANU-PF spokesperson role. Lost all executive authority.
🌍 ELEVATED — KIRSTY COVENTRY
ELECTED IOC PRESIDENT MARCH 2025 · FIRST WOMAN · FIRST AFRICAN · GRADE: F · PEOPLE'S: 12
Elected 10th IOC President on 20 March 2025. Modest domestic ministerial record — never ranked top 3. But her global elevation gave Zimbabwe its most powerful soft-power moment in decades. Replaced by retired Lt. General Anselem Sanyatwe — a military appointment that divided opinion.
CATEGORY 2
DEPUTY MINISTERS
| Rank | Deputy Minister | Portfolio | Official | People's | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1st | Vangelis Haritatos | Agriculture | 84 | 78 | A- |
| 🥈 2nd | Joshua Sacco | Transport | 80 | 70 | B+ |
| 🥉 3rd | Norbert Mazungunye | Justice | 78 | 52 | B |
Haritatos is the execution engine behind Masuka's streak. Managed the field-level rollout of Pfumvudza/Intwasa, input distribution, and post-harvest coordination. The 2024/25 season: 766 village business units (31% increase), 93% functional. Cereal production: 2.24 million MT.
Sacco backed the road-fund throughput that saw ZINARA collect ZiG 12.5 billion (US$469M) in 2025 with ZiG 9.1 billion disbursed.
Mazungunye supported Ziyambi's reform agenda. Official score 78 vs people's 52 — the justice gap again.
CATEGORY 3
PERMANENT SECRETARIES
| Rank | Permanent Secretary | Ministry | Official | People's | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1st | Prof. Obert Jiri | Agriculture | 86 | 75 | A- |
| 🥈 2nd | Vimbai Nyemba | Justice | 83 | 50 | B+ |
| 🥉 3rd | Albert Chimbindi | Foreign Affairs | 80 | 45 | B+ |
| Notable | George Guvamatanga | Finance | 79 | 87 | A- |
Jiri is the operational engine behind every agriculture record. Promoted from 2nd to 1st this cycle. The man who makes sure the seeds arrive on time and the tonnage gets counted.
Nyemba chaired the SADC Committee of Senior Legal Officials. Strong on regional standing — but the grandmother waiting 18 months for a magistrate's court hearing does not know her name.
Chimbindi ran foreign affairs while exports hit US$8.57 billion (up 27%). Trade facilitation matters but attribution is shared.
Guvamatanga — never ranked top 3 but runs the most consequential administrative portfolio in government. ZIMRA exceeded targets by 10.26%.
CATEGORY 4
PARASTATALS AND REGULATORS
From clean audits to institutional extinction. The widest performance gap in Zimbabwe.
THE WINNERS
| Entity | Leader | Official | People's | Grade | Headline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 ZINARA | Nkosinathi Ncube (CEO) / Dr. George Manyaya (Chair) | 94 | 80 | A+ | Turnaround of the Year |
| 🏆 RBZ | Dr. John Mushayavanhu | 87 | 55 | A- | Regulatory Champion |
| 🏆 ARDA | Tinotenda Mhiko | 85 | 65 | A- | Best SOE CEO (2nd year) |
| 🏆 POTRAZ | Gift Machengete | 81 | 60 | B+ | Digital Regulator |
THE FAILURES
| Entity | Leader | Official | People's | Grade | Headline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💀 Air Zimbabwe | Edmund Makona | 12 | 8 | F | Zero aircraft. National embarrassment. |
| 💀 NRZ | Respina Zinyanduko | 22 | 15 | D- | No passengers since 2020. Decade of losses. |
| 💀 NSSA | Charles Shava | 18 | 10 | D- | Pensioners get US$50. CEO has criminal charges. |
🏆 TURNAROUND OF THE YEAR — ZINARA
A+ · 94/100 · ★★★★★ · BEST CEO + BEST BOARD CHAIR · FIRST CLEAN AUDIT IN HISTORY
The numbers that earned this:
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Revenue collected (2024) | ZWG 6.6 billion (target: 5.6B — exceeded by 18%) |
| Revenue collected (2025) | ZiG 12.5 billion (US$469M) |
| Roads maintained | 37,000 km (target: 30,000 km — 122% of plan) |
| Audit status | First clean audit in ZINARA's entire history |
| Disbursement to councils | 88% of collections · 63 of 94 road authorities at full allocation |
| DBSA loan | Cut 75% — from US$165M to US$42M in 4 years |
| Toll transaction time | Cut from 30 seconds to under 10 via e-tags |
People's score 80/100: The entity Zimbabweans love to hate — and it turned around. Toll roads are smoother. Electronic payment works. The clean audit is a first. Urban potholes remain a complaint, but trunk and rural roads are measurably the best in a decade.
The catch: Auditor-General found tollgate staff altering records without oversight. Three provincial weighbridges non-functional. 39% of 2023 audit findings ignored.
💀 AIR ZIMBABWE — GRADE F
SCORE: 12 · PEOPLE'S: 8 · ZERO OWN AIRCRAFT IN SERVICE
| Aircraft | Status |
|---|---|
| Boeing 737-200 | Grounded. Africa's oldest commercial plane (40+ years). |
| Boeing 767-200ER | Grounded since June 2025. |
| 2x Embraer ERJ-145 | Grounded. One inactive since Sept 2023. |
| 2x Boeing 777-200 | Acquired for ~US$33M. Never operated commercially. US$140M unaccounted. |
Currently flies one wet-leased 48-seat turboprop from Kenya's Renegade Air. Outstanding IATA debts: ~US$140 million. A US$775.5 million fleet renewal plan was announced. No credible financing exists.
💀 NSSA — GRADE D-
SCORE: 18 · PEOPLE'S: 10 · PENSIONERS GET US$50/MONTH · FOOD BASKET: US$441
| What happened | Detail |
|---|---|
| Former CEO Manase | US$600-750K housing loan. US$353K luxury vehicles. Mombasa board trips at pensioner expense. |
| New CEO Shava | Ranked 5th of 7 candidates (59.8% score, below 62% benchmark). Faces active criminal charges. |
| Board chair Fundira | Fired for resisting Shava's appointment. |
| Entire previous board | Fired by Minister Edgar Moyo (June 2025). |
| Pension adequacy | ~US$50/month against a US$441 basic food basket. |
💀 NRZ — GRADE D-
SCORE: 22 · PEOPLE'S: 15 · ALL PASSENGER SERVICES SUSPENDED SINCE 2020
- Freight: 2.3-3 million tonnes vs 14M tonne historic peak and 18M installed capacity.
- 10+ consecutive years of losses. Assets exceeded by liabilities.
- Financing deals in progress: US$431M Afreximbank, US$115M RITES India, US$533M TransTech China. None operational.
- Limited charter tourist trains only. The Bulawayo workshops — once the economic heartbeat of the city — are silent.
CATEGORY 5
PROVINCIAL MINISTERS
Only 5 of 10 met targets. Devolution funded at 2% — the constitution says 5%.
| Rank | Provincial Minister | Province | Official | People's | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1st | Ezra Chadzamira | Masvingo | 82 | 72 | B+ |
| 🥈 2nd | Evelyn Ndlovu | Mat South | 78 | 65 | B |
| 🥉 3rd | Owen Ncube | Midlands | 76 | 60 | B |
Chadzamira led investment mobilisation and rural infrastructure in Masvingo. Targeting US$8 billion provincial GDP. Citizens report improved rural road access.
Ndlovu made notable progress in one of Zimbabwe's most historically underserved provinces. Water remains the dominant citizen concern.
Ncube is a multi-cycle performer: 1st in 2023, 3rd in 2025. Mining-adjacent development visible but Gweru urban services lag.
CATEGORY 6
INDEPENDENT COMMISSIONS
| Rank | Leader | Commission | Official | People's | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1st | Tendai Bare | Land Commission | 77 | 55 | B |
| 🥈 2nd | Priscilla Chigumba | ZEC | 75 | 32 | B- |
The Chigumba gap is the widest in the entire PowerList: 75 official vs 32 people's. ZEC's credibility remains deeply damaged after the 2023 elections, which observer missions described as neither free nor fair. The official ranking does not match public trust. It may never match until ZEC agrees to an external voter-roll audit.
CATEGORY 7
NINE RESHUFFLES AND THE DIPLOMATIC CHESSBOARD
Nine reshuffles in two years. More than any comparable period in Mnangagwa's presidency.
WHO GOT MOVED AND WHY
| Date | Who | What Happened | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2024 | Mutsvangwa | Fired from Veterans Affairs | Insubordination. Demanded State Security. |
| Apr 2024 | Nyoni ↔ Ndlovu | Industry-Environment swap | Performance shortcomings. |
| Apr 2024 | Chitando → Mines, Garwe → Local Govt, Soda → Housing | Three-way rotation | Chitando returned to comfort zone. |
| Oct 2024 | Shava demoted | Foreign Affairs → Higher Education | Widely read as punishment. |
| Nov 2024 | Matuke | New Minister of State for National Security | Ministry restored after 2023 scrapping. |
| Jan 2025 | Edgar Moyo → Public Service, July Moyo → Energy | Energy swap + new CIO boss | Power crisis consequence. |
| Mar 2025 | Coventry out, Sanyatwe in | IOC election, military replacement | Coup-proofing by analysts. |
| Dec 2025 | Kambamura replaces Chitando at Mines | Deputy promoted | Quiet efficiency over seniority. |
| Feb 2026 | Muswere demoted from Information | Tried to fire President's niece at ZBC | US$52M licence-fee scandal. 3,000 Herald copies destroyed. |
DIPLOMATIC DEPLOYMENTS
| Batch | Ambassador | Posting |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 2024 | Taonga Mushayavanhu | UN, New York |
| Apr 2024 | Abigail Shonhiwa | China |
| Apr 2024 | Jonathan Wutawunashe | Saudi Arabia |
| Apr 2024 | Stella Nkomo | India |
| Sep 2025 | Isaac Moyo (ex-CIO boss) | UAE |
| Sep 2025 | David Hamadziripi | USA |
| Sep 2025 | Lovemore Mazemo | South Africa |
| Sep 2025 | Patrick Mutasa | Cuba |
Still in post: Col. Christian Katsande (UK), Ammon Mutembwa (EU), Sophia Nyamudeza (AU), Brig Gen Ambrose Mutinhiri (Russia). Ambassador Uebert Angel retains his Presidential Envoy
THE BIG PICTURE
NDS1 — FIVE YEARS, ONE SCORECARD
GDP GROWTH (target: above 5%)
| Year | Growth | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8.5% | ✅ Exceeded |
| 2022 | 6.1% | ✅ Met |
| 2023 | 5.0% | ✅ Met |
| 2024 | 1.7% | ❌ El Niño drought |
| 2025 | ~6.0% | ✅ Rebound |
THE WINS
- Hwange 7 and 8: 600 MW added.
- RGM Airport: US$153M expansion. 6M capacity.
- Wheat self-sufficiency: 639,942 MT record.
- Gold: doubled to 46.7 tonnes.
- Manufacturing capacity: up from 36.4% to 66%.
- Tourism: record arrivals. Forbes #1.
- Inflation: 4.1% — single digits for first time in 29 years.
THE FAILURES
- Power: 600 MW structural deficit persists.
- Cholera: 34,549 cases, 718 deaths.
- Budget execution: averaged 54%.
- Poverty: stuck at 38.7%.
- Local authorities: zero met targets in 2024.
- Harare and Bulawayo: acute water emergencies.
NDS2 REALITY CHECK (2026-2030)
| Target | Independent Projection |
|---|---|
| GDP growth: 7% per year | IMF projects 3.5% |
| Jobs: 2 million new | 91% currently dissatisfied with job creation |
| Status: upper middle income | GNI per capita must reach US$3,956-$12,235 |
THE VERDICT
Three patterns define this PowerList.
Infrastructure wins. Roads, airports and farm outputs are photographable. They dominate the rankings because the system rewards what you can see and touch. Rwodzi's tourism, Masuka's wheat, Mhona's roads — these are measurable, visible, undeniable.
Failure is punished selectively. Edgar Moyo was moved for the power crisis. Mutsvangwa was fired for insubordination. But the ministers who oversaw the cholera crisis (34,549 cases), NSSA's pension collapse, and NRZ's decade of paralysis faced zero consequences. The performance system has teeth — but it bites some and not others.
The people keep a different score. In 20 of 25 cases on this PowerList, the official score is higher than the people's score. The widest gaps: ZEC (75 vs 32), Mthuli Ncube (72 vs 38), July Moyo (74 vs 42). The narrowest: Rwodzi (92 vs 88), Haritatos (84 vs 78), Masuka (90 vs 82). When both scores converge above 80, you have found a genuine performer. When they diverge by more than 30 points, you have found governance theatre.
The starting gun was fired in 2021. The race is a marathon, not a sprint.
The 2027 PowerList will be sharper. The scorecard never sleeps.
