Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa's son has told journalists that he was "elated" on being appointed to cabinet as deputy minister in the finance ministry, although it came as a ''surprise'' to him.
Thirty-four year old David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa will Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube's deputy. The president's nephew Tongai Mnangagwa has also been appointed as deputy minister in the tourism ministry. The two appointees were chosen to fill up a youth quota in cabinet posts.
“I am actually elated but there is quite a huge expectation as deputy minister coming into one of the toughest portfolios and also, [there is] expectation from my constituency which is the youth," he is quoted as saying by local news outlets.
“But l am excited to receive my mandate from my immediate boss Mthuli Ncube who will be dispensing my duties and to be an extra deck of hands to the team. The next few days will be familiarisation with the numbers and what’s going on behind the curtain,” he added.
Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the president's relatives are not disqualified from government appointments "on that basis only. They are also Zimbabweans."
