By Pemphero Malimba:
President Peter Mutharika has reshuffled his cabinet which has seen Lilongwe Mtandire Mtsiriza parliamentarian Alfred Gangata moving to a third ministry within the four months of Mutharika’s presidency.
In a statement signed by Chief Secretary, Justin Saidi Mutharika has moved Gangata from being Minister of Natural Resources to Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.
He has swapped roles with Patricia Wiskes.
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Mutharika has also appointed former private sector figure, Simon Itaye, as Minister of Industrialisation, Business, Trade and Tourism.
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Itaye takes over from George Patridge who Mutharika appointed last week as Reserve Bank of Malawi Governor.
Before being appointed as Minister of Natural Resources, Gangata was Minister of State. He was one of the first ministers Mutharika appointed into his Cabinet after the September elections.
Commenting on Gangata’s movement, National Advocacy Platform chairperson Benedicto Kondowe said it could be that Mutharika is attempting to find a suitable position for him.
“Honourable Gangata is youthful and, on paper, fit for the ministry to which he has been redeployed.
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“The frequency of his movements may also signal ongoing attempts to find the most suitable portfolio for his skills. This should be read cautiously: even a capable minister will struggle to demonstrate impact without stability, time, and a clearly settled mandate,” Kondowe said.
He said the redeployment might disrupt continuity across the ministries.
“The rapid movement across three ministries suggests uncertainty in portfolio alignment and a reactive approach to Cabinet management.
“While flexibility can be useful, repeated redeployments disrupt continuity, delays reforms, and weakens institutional memory within key ministries,” he said.
Political and governance analyst George Chaima agreed with Kondowe.
“I want to believe that… he [Mutharika] wants to put him where he can fit best. So I should believe that the Ministry of Sports would be probably the best fit for him as compared to other ministries,” Chaima said.
He observed that some ministries and departments require expertise Mutharika may not have noted in Gangata.
“These ministries, like those of natural resources and state, are specialized ministries which also need very proactive engagement and also training in terms of policies. You have to understand the policies within those ministries. You also have to understand the needs on the ground and how you can marry your ministry to the global requirements of whatever your ministry provides.
“So I don’t think the President is just changing Gangata for the sake of changing him but to make sure he puts him where he belongs,” he said.
On the other hand, Itaye describes himself on his LinkedIn page as a financial specialist and strategist with over 35 years’ experience in the private sector.
In that period, he specialised in strategic general management, product development and international trade.
He retired in 2018 while serving as Managing Director of Nampak Malawi Limited (formerly Packaging Industries Malawi), then a leading manufacturer of paper based packaging products.
He served the company from 1998.
The profile also shows that he worked with Deloitte from 1982 to 1984 and served as Internal Auditor for Import & Export from 1984 to 1986.
