HARARE – Businessman Oliver Chidawu was sworn-in as Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Province at State House on Monday.

Chidawu, a Senator in Harare, took his oath of office in front of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his two deputies Kembo Mohadi and Constantino Chiwenga.

The 65-year-old millionaire businessman, reported to be one of Mnangagwa’s biggest financiers, is the chairman of African Banking Corporation Zimbabwe, non-executive chairman of Manders Group and founder of Kuchi Group of Companies.

Chidawu is also a major shareholder in Bitumen Construction. He was also a founding shareholder and director of Heritage Investment Bank that merged with First Merchant Bank in 1997 and also sits on the board of Bindura Nickel Corporation Ltd.

The former Harare mayor told reporters after he was sworn-in: “I think the biggest challenge that we have is water, and we are going to be pushing to make sure that provision is there.

“I just have to raise the bar for all of us to appreciate the issues around us. We are forced to work together to make sure Harare is habitable for all of us. The city, as you know, is the home of governance systems. The executive, legislature and judiciary are all here, hence we should able to provide that leadership.”

The Harare City Council is run overwhelmingly by the MDC, and Chidawu said he would work with the local authority on issues of common interest.

Mnangagwa’s Cabinet now has 21 ministries. He also has 14 deputy ministers, 10 provincial ministers and two ministers of state in the offices of Vice Presidents Kembo Mohadi and Constantino Chiwenga. All 47 will be issued with brand new vehicles, two each – a Mercedes and an off-road 4×4. The perks are a massive drain on the cash-strapped country’s fiscus.