Obert Mpofu

Obert Moses Mpofu is a Zimbabwean politician, who served as Minister of Home Affairs from 2017 to September 2018.[1] Previously he was Minister of Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion; Minister of Industry and International Trade; Minister of Mines and Mining Development; and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development. The Cabinet of Zimbabwe was later dissolved on November 27, 2017.[2] He was reappointed as Minister of Home Affairs in Mnangagwa's first cabinet on 30 November 2017.[3] The Culture portfolio was added to his ministry. Mpofu was later removed from the Zimbabwe cabinet in September 2018.[4]

The Right Honourable

Obert Mpofu

MP
Minister of Home Affairs and Culture
In office
30 November 2017 – 11 September 2018
PresidentEmmerson Mnangagwa
Minister of Home Affairs
In office
9 October 2017 – 27 November 2017
PresidentRobert Mugabe
Preceded byIgnatius Chombo
Minister of Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion
In office
11 September 2015 – 9 October 2017
PresidentRobert Mugabe
Preceded byElton Mangoma
Succeeded bySimbarashe Mumbengegwi
Minister of Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development
In office
10 September 2013 – 11 September 2015
PresidentRobert Mugabe
Preceded byNicholas Goche
Succeeded byJoram Gumbo
Minister of Mines and Mining Development
In office
13 February 2009 – 10 September 2013
PresidentRobert Mugabe
Prime MinisterMorgan Tsvangirai
Preceded byAmos Midzi
Succeeded byWalter Chidhakwa
Minister of Industry and International Trade
In office
April 2005 – 13 February 2009
PresidentRobert Mugabe
Succeeded byWelshman Ncube
Governor of Matabeleland North
In office
2000–2005
Preceded byWelshman Mabhena
Succeeded bySithokozile Mathuthu
Personal details
Born (1951-10-12) 12 October 1951
Southern Rhodesia
Political partyZANU-PF
ChildrenBukhosie Mkhokheli

Political career

Mpofu, previously the Governor of Matabeleland North Province, was appointed as Minister of Industry and International Trade in mid-April 2005, following the March 2005 parliamentary election.[5][6]

At the beginning of 2014, Mpofu was reported to be seeking nomination from ZANU-PF’s Matabeleland North provincial leadership for the position of party Chairman. It was reported that his main rival for the position was the Speaker of the Zimbabwean Parliament, Jacob Mudenda. It is believed that Mpofu was one of the earliest ZPRA guerillas to be trained for the Zimbabwean Liberation War way back in the 1960s.[7]

Ministry of Industry & Trade

Mpofu masterminded the freeze of basic commodities in Zimbabwe in mid-2007. He was appointed by Robert Mugabe to lead the price monitoring regime that was created following the price-freeze.[8] He withdrew operating licenses from abattoirs across the country during the price freeze, a situation that resulted in beef becoming scarce in shops across the country. In early 2008, he initiated the idea of 'people's shops' government run retail shops that would sell products at cheap prices.

Sino-Zimbabwe trade

Mpofu was at the forefront encouraging trade between Zimbabwe and China, as part of the government's Look-East policy. At one time, Gao Hucheng, Chinese vice-minister for commerce, after meeting with Mpofu claimed: "Chinese goods had been well received by Zimbabweans and that his government would continue to promote trade between the two countries as this had also improved the lives of people."

2008 general election

Obert Mpofu was nominated again as the ZANU-PF candidate for the House of Assembly seat from Umguza constituency in the March 2008 parliamentary election.[9] Mpofu was initially endorsed as unopposed, but Mark Mbayiwa challenged this in court and was successful in getting Mpofu's unopposed endorsement overturned.[10]

Campaigning in Umguza, Mpofu singled out Simba Makoni as an agent of western imperialism. .[11]

Mpofu won the seat, receiving 7,065 votes and defeating two candidates of the two Movement for Democratic Change factions, Cornelius Mbayiwa (MDC-T) and Edmund Masuku (MDC-M), who respectively received 2,846 and 2,120 votes. He also defeated Mark Mbayiwa, who ran as an independent and received 555 votes.[12]

Minister of Mines

When the ZANU-PF–MDC national unity government was sworn in on 13 February 2009, Mpofu became Minister of Mines.[13][14]

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure

Mpofu was appointed as Minister of Transport and Infrastructure in February 2014 and served until 2015.[15]

Minister of Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion

Mpofu was Minister of Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion from 2015 until 2017.

Minister of Home Affairs

Following the dissolution of the Cabinet of Zimbabwe in 2017, it was announced that Robert Mugabe's successor Emmerson Mnangagwa had allowed only Patrick Chinamasa and Simbarashe Mumbengegwi to remain as acting ministers of Finance and Foreign Affairs respectively until the appointment of a new cabinet.[2] However, Mpofu was appointed as Minister of Home Affairs and Culture in the new cabinet.[16] Mpofu was later removed from the Mnangagwa Cabinet in September 2018.[17]

Political offices
Preceded by
Charles Tawengwa		 Treasurer (Dura ReMusangano) ZANU Next:
incumbent

References
  1. "Cabinet reshuffled • 10 ministers reassigned new portfolios • Eight new appointments, 3 dropped". The Herald. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  2. http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/headlines/mnangagwa-dissolves-cabinet-chinamasa-appointed-acting-finance-minister/
  3. "Mnangagwa announces new Cabinet". Zimbabwe Mail. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  4. https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2018/09/14/new-cabinet-an-average-team/
  5. "MP's sworn in, new ministers appointed", SADOCC, 16 April 2005.
  6. "Zimbabwe: Profile - Obert Mpofu". allAfrica. 16 December 2011.
  7. "Zanu PF bigwigs jostle for chairmanship". Zimbabwe Situation. 3 January 2014.
  8. ZDU (accessed 02/10/2008)
  9. "Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF Names Poll Candidates", The Herald (allAfrica.com), 15 February 2008.
  10. Kholwani Nyathi, "High Court blocks Mpofu re-election", The Standard (Zimbabwe), accessed 10 February 2008.
  11. Thousands urged to vote ZANU-PF (accessed 26 February 2008)
  12. "Zimbabwe election results 2008" Archived 5 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Newzimbabwe.com, 2 April 2008.
  13. "Cabinet sworn in amid chaotic scenes" Archived 14 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Newzimbabwe.com, 13 February 2009.
  14. "From Rags to Riches - The Obert Mpofu Story". Nehanda Radio. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017.
  15. "Ncube sworn in". The Herald. Harare, Zimbabwe. 15 September 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  16. "Mnangagwa names Zimbabwe's new cabinet". IOL News. 1 December 2017. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018.
  17. https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-145380.html
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