by BERNARD CHIKETO
WHEN President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration introduced performance contracts for Cabinet ministers four years ago, sceptics dismissed them as theatrical optics in a system long accustomed to job security regardless of results.
The awards ceremony held at Rainbow Towers on March 16th suggested the strategy may be gaining credibility.
Barbara Rwodzi, the tourism and hospitality industry minister, was named Overall Best Performing Cabinet Minister of 2025, beating 29 colleagues in a ranking based on pre-agreed targets tied to the government’s National Development Strategy 2.
She is the first female to win the top accolade.
Dr Anxious Masuka, the agriculture minister, secured first runner-up, followed by Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi in second place.
In the provincial categories, Masvingo’s Ezra Chadzamira repeated as top-performing minister of state. Deputy ministers and permanent secretaries were also ranked, with Vangelis Haritatos and Professor Obert Jiri leading their respective categories.
Minister Rwodzi’s elevation reflects a sector enjoying unusual momentum.
Zimbabwe’s tourism industry has recorded nine percent growth in international arrivals, with revenues reaching US$900 million for the first three quarters of 2025.
Forbes named the country the top global destination for 2025, a designation her ministry aggressively marketed.
More concretely, Minister Rwodzi recently became the first African minister to win Best Tourism Minister of the Year at ITB Berlin.
The minister has also been the public face of structural reforms.
She oversaw the launch of the National Tourism Policy in August 2025, a blueprint targeting a US$5 billion tourism economy through infrastructure upgrades and community-based models.
A draft Tourism Bill now before parliament aims to modernise legislation, streamline licensing and reduce fees by 25-50 percent for operators—moves industry leaders have long demanded.
“Sustainability is not an expense; it is an investment in the longevity of our industry,” Takaruza Munyanyiwa, the ministry’s permanent secretary, told industry players late last year, echoing the policy shift toward devolved tourism development that prioritises rural and marginalised areas.
President Mnangagwa, presiding over the ceremony, framed the rankings within a broader governance philosophy.
“This ceremony reflects our unwavering commitment and resilience in delivering public services with efficiency as we march forward towards the realisation of Vision 2030,” he said.
He noted that Zimbabwe’s performance contracting system had received recognition at the African Peer Review Mechanism, describing it as entrenching “a results-oriented culture in the public sector”.
For Minister Rwodzi, the award validates a high-visibility approach to a portfolio often considered secondary to mining or agriculture. Her ministry’s performance—and her personal ranking—suggest tourism is no longer playing that role.
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