Excellence in Governance: Barbara Rwodzi Tops 2025 Cabinet Performance Rankings

Tourism Minister Barbara Rwodzi has been named the best-performing cabinet minister in Zimbabwe for 2025

Harare, Zimbabwe- Minister Barbara Rwodzi has been named the overall best-performing Cabinet Minister for 2025, a distinction that validates her ministry's aggressive "re-imagining" of the Zimbabwean tourism brand. The performance evaluation system, a hallmark of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Second Republic, measures ministers against specific, pre-signed performance contracts to ensure accountability.

The rankings reflect the government's current priorities: Tourism, Agriculture, and Legal Reforms.

Rank	Minister	Portfolio	Key Achievement
1st	Barbara Rwodzi	Tourism and Hospitality Industry	10% sectoral transformation; named Best African Tourism Minister (ITB Berlin 2026).
2nd	Anxious Masuka	Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water & Rural Development	Sustained food security initiatives and rural development milestones.
3rd	Ziyambi Ziyambi	Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs	Management of constitutional alignments and parliamentary legislative flow.

The awards also recognized the "engine room" of government—the deputy ministers and permanent secretaries who drive day-to-day implementation.

• Top Deputy Ministers:

  1. Vangelis Haritatos (Agriculture)

  2. Joshua Sacco (Transport/Energy)

  3. Norbert Mazungunye

• Top Permanent Secretaries:

  1. Obert Jiri (Agriculture)

  2. Vimbai Nyemba (Justice)

  3. Albert Chimbindi (Foreign Affairs)

The Chief Secretary noted that Minister Rwodzi's top spot was secured by a 10% transformation in the tourism sector. This growth is largely attributed to the "ZimBho" domestic tourism campaign and a renewed focus on international arrivals, which recently earned her continental recognition at ITB Berlin 2026.

The evaluation system continues to serve as a critical tool for the Presidency to identify high-achievers and address bottlenecks in the civil service, ensuring that the Vision 2030 goals remain on track.

Barbara Rwodzi best cabinet minister 2025