Harare [Zimbabwe]: The recently re-elected President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa has sparked controversy by selecting his son as deputy minister of finance, according to CNN.
Despite popular outrage when the list of nominees was made public on Monday, Mnangagwa’s 34-year-old son, David, was among 26 officials sworn in as cabinet ministers on Tuesday.
David Mnangagwa, who graduated from the University of Zimbabwe this month, is also a member of parliament.
According to his LinkedIn page, he previously got a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Actuarial Science from Drake University in the United States in 2011, and previously worked as an actuarial associate in the United States, reported CNN.
Mnangagwa’s son will deputise finance minister Mthuli Ncube in his extended cabinet, while his nephew, Tongai, will serve as deputy minister in the country’s tourism ministry.
Mnangagwa has been accused by some Zimbabweans of operating the impoverished southern African country like “a family business.”
Zimbabwe suffers from a raft of economic problems, including high inflation and an escalating cost-of-living crisis. The local currency lost more than half its value to the US dollar in June, and the country owes billions of dollars in debt arrears.
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in for a second five-year term last week after winning the presidential elections, CNN reported.
He was sworn in for another term in a ceremony attended by thousands of people. Presidents of South Africa, Congo and Mozambique also attended the ceremony.
