Mugabe asked me to choose ministry: Hungwe

By Blessings Mashaya

Minister of State for Liaising on Psychomotor Activities in Education Josiah Hungwe has claimed that President Robert Mugabe asked him to choose a ministry of his choice in his Cabinet after the ruling Zanu PF party’s controversial 2013 poll win.

Speaking at the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between his ministry and various organisations for developmental projects, Hungwe said it was an obvious case that he was going to be a minister.

“… the president sat down with me to say we have won elections after 2013, saka tiri panaapa (we are here now).  Ko iwe unoda kuitei saminister (Which portfolio do you want?) Zvekuti uchaita minister zvanga zviri obvious asi  iwe unoda kuitei? (It was a foregone conclusion that you would become minister, but what ministry do you want?) I said education. He said ‘what you mean about education?’ I then said ‘I am experienced in this field.’

“I want to take this opportunity to call upon organisations and individuals out there who have viable projects that could create livelihoods for our people through skills development to come forward to Psychomotor department. We will welcome you and try to ensure that you get all governmental support you need to get your project off the ground.”

Few months after his appointment, Hungwe told the thematic committee on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that his ministry was responsible for developing skills to produce employable citizens who will contribute to national economic development necessary in the 21st century.

Hungwe said there was need to retrain teachers particularly those who specialised in Early Childhood Development (ECD), arguing that the current crop of educators was not tailor-made to impart vocational skills training simultaneously with academics to school children. Daily News