Story by Jeremiah Gora
HARARE – The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development emerged as the top performer at yesterday’s Announcement of the 2024 Performance Evaluation Results And 2025 Performance Contracts Signing Ceremony, held at State House in Harare.
The colourful ceremony was hosted by His Excellency President Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa at State House in Harare.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development emerged as the top performer, boasting four awards under its belt at the Announcement of the 2024 Performance Evaluation Results And 2025 Performance Contracts Signing Ceremony.
Advocate Felix Tapiwa Mhona, Member of Parliament for Chikomba East Constituency and Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, was recognized as the Best Performing Cabinet Minister for the year 2024.
Hon Advocate Felix Mhona emerged as the top performer, surpassing Dr Anxious Masuka, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, who was the first runner-up, and Hon July Moyo, Minister of Energy and Power Development, who secured the second runner-up position.
Dr Anxious Masuka, the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, was the recipient of the Best Performing Minister award last year.
Engineer J. P Makumbe, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, took home the Best Permanent Secretary award, outshining Professor Obert Jiri, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, who was the first runner-up, and Dr Mavis Sibanda, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises, who secured the second runner-up position.
Dr George Manyaya from ZINARA, a parastatal under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, was recognised as the Best Performing Board Chair in the revenue collection authorities sector.
ZINARA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr N. Ncube, was also honored with the prestigious Best CEO award, in recognition of his exceptional leadership and outstanding contributions to the organization.
The recent awards, which honored the quartet, effectively endorsed the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development’s outstanding performance during the period under review.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has achieved notable successes, including the completion of the VVIP Pavilion Lounge at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, the rehabilitation of major roads like Harare-Beitbridge, Boulevard Road in Mt Hampden and ongoing projects such as the Harare-Chirundu highway and the construction of the Trabablas (Mbudzi) Interchange.
Furthermore, the Aviation Training Academy of Zimbabwe, under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development was accredited and recognized as a TRAINAIRPLUS Bronze member during the Global Implementation of Support Symposium (GISS) held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from February 10-12, 2025.
In terms of State Enterprises Reform being led by President Mnangagwa, the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) has emerged as a beacon, showcasing significant strides in financial transparency, accountability and service delivery for the benefit of the people.
Under the leadership of board chairman, Dr George Manyaya, appointed in December 2021, ZINARA has transformed from a careworn entity into a model of effective state enterprise management.
It is now one of the most transparent state enterprises after it disbursed 88 percent of its revenue to councils and road authorities while also recording a first-ever clean audit from the Auditor-General.
Other top performers who recieved awards at the ceremony includes Honourable Ezra Chadzamira, who was recognised as Best Performing Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution.
Dr Addmore Pazvakavambwa from Masvingo Province was recognised as the Best Performing Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution.
Mr Shingai Mutumbwa from NBS received the Best Performing Board Chairperson gong.
In his remarks at State House in Harare yesterday, the President Cde. Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa hailed the new ways of doing business, emphasizing that these approaches have borne fruit and contributed significantly to the nation’s progress.
“It is commendable that since the introduction of performance contracting, we have witnessed notable milestones across all sectors. These include steady economic growth, introduction of the ZiG, launch of the Presidential Title Deeds Programme and establishment of Village Units, among others.
“The growing culture of accountability, integrity, efficiency and effectiveness is also applauded,” said President Mnangagwa.
He added that this way of conducting government business is set to be adopted by Zimbabwe, reinforcing the commitment to enhance efficiency and accountability in governance.
“Performance Contracts have been extended to Deputy Ministers, Deputy Chief Secretaries, Public Service Commissioners, the Clerk of Parliament, and the Secretary to the Judicial Service Commission, reflecting a commitment to inclusive governance and accountability across all levels of leadership,” said the President.
Zimbabwe is steadfastly working towards achieving Upper Middle Income Economy status by 2030, guided by comprehensive blueprints such as the nearing completion of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and the impending implementation of the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
The National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) serves as the guiding framework for the Performance and Contracting model, which is currently being utilized to evaluate and enhance the performance of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in Zimbabwe.
