Mthuli Ncube: Zimbabwe shock as finance minister named Africa's best

The naming of Mthuli Ncube as “Best African Finance Minister of the Year” has sparked astonishment among many Zimbabweans, given the country’s economic challenges. Critics likened the award to applauding a captain steering a ship into an iceberg.

Zimbabwe grapples with an 85% unemployment rate, and around 80% of transactions are conducted in US dollars due to a lack of confidence in the local currency. Reputation Poll International, a reputation management organization, presented Ncube with the award, leading to mixed reactions. Activist Hopewell Chin’ono called it an “insult” to Zimbabweans, particularly after Ncube’s recent budget, which he criticized as the “most anti-people national budget” in the country’s history.

The budget includes tax hikes and an increase in passport fees to $200, making it the most expensive in the region. Critics attribute Zimbabwe’s economic challenges to mismanagement by the ruling Zanu-PF party and cite a history of economic struggles dating back decades. Zimbabwe recently held controversial by-elections, resulting in Zanu-PF winning seven of the nine contested seats but falling three short of the parliamentary majority needed to change the constitution.