One of the critical elements of effective service delivery, accountability and transparency is the level at which key government officers are accessible to the general public and media to answer questions on public policy. The media acts as the bridge between citizens and their government connecting the two and facilitating engagement.
Citizens need feedback from their leaders on how they are administering public resources and making the decisions that affect them on a daily basis. Take for example cabinet decision to close the operations of telecoms company Telecel has different ramifications on Zimbabwean citizens. It will affect employees, consumers and vendors strewn all over the country including ancillary businesses that deal with this company.
The relevant minister therefore in this case, Supa Mandiwanzira should be available to the public to explain government decisions. However this is not always the case. It is easier to get an interview with President Robert Mugabe than to converse with some of his cabinet ministers. They simply do not have the time to engage the media especially private media on policy matters.
We carried out a survey on who the most accessible Minister in President Mugabe’s cabinet is and the results were astounding. We interviewed journalists, attempted to call Ministers and also looked at aspects on whether ministers were available on social media and accessible. Journalists who took part in this survey declined to be named pointing out that they would be snubbed by the politicians in future. Here are the results
The Best!
1. Patrick Chinamasa
Mr Chinamasa was praised by many journalists for his accessibility to members of the media. ‘Even when he misses your call, he either texts you to infrom you why he cannot take your call or he will later call you back even in the evening’ said a journalist. He is a fine gentleman who ensures that he engages with the media on issues that fall under his ministries in a respectful manner. Even though the minister has no known social media accounts, he is very accessible to the media.

2. Professor Jonathan Moyo fully understands and appreciates his position as a public official. He will answer his phone and his recent arrival on the social media scene and constant engagement with the public on policy matters bears testimony to his commitment. ‘When you invite professor Moyo to officiate at a public event, he will come if he gives you his word ‘said a director of one of the media NGOs.

3. Walter Mzembi
The Tourism Minister was clearly well liked by journalists who were interviewed who described him as very accessible. He is very active on Twitter and engages journalists enthusiastically. It is therefore no a surprise why he was described by President Mugabe as one of his best ministers. There is a direct connection between the performance of public officials and their level and willingness to engage with the public and members of the media.

The Worst!
Saviour Kasukuwere
Although known to be available on social media and email, the minister is notorious for not responding to calls and correspondence from the media especially private media. ‘He tends to grant access to a selected few individuals he is comfortable with but this is not appropriate for a public official’ said one journalist who refused to be named. He hardly answers his phone and never responds to missed calls. ‘Maybe he is overwhelmed as he is also now the party’s political Commissar.
President Mugabe must consider a policy that bars key party officers such as Commissars and secretary of administration from also assuming cabinet roles. They tend to get overwhelmed by the huge amount of work. The ANC in South Africa for example avoids deploying its key party officers into government.

Ignatious Chombo
One journalist described the ordeal of trying to gain access to Minister Chombo as impossible. ‘It is easier to draw water out of a rock than to get access to Minister Chombo’ she said. This is despite the fact that Chombo heads the ministry that is closest to the people.
Maybe minister Chombo is also overwhelmed as he has to double up his ministerial role with an equally demanding role as secretary of administration of the party, running the day to day affairs of the party.

Supa Mandiwanzira
Minister Mandiwanzira seldom answers his phone but he has the courtesy to text and sometimes call back. He is accessible on email but his greatest flaw is his tendency to belittle journalists with unhelpful condescending comments. ‘If you ask Supa simple policy issues, he is going to ask you who you work for or who funds you ‘said a journalist. ‘As a former journalist and deputy minister of information his conduct towards freelance journalists is really unhelpful’ he added.

The government accredits journalists through the Media Commission of Zimbabwe and most journalists are freelancing because of the adverse economic environment. Minister Mandiwanzira was at some point a correspondent of Al Jazeera and SABC and he should be the first to understand the working environment of journalists in the country.

Already the Access to information and Protection of Privacy Act places hurdles between government and its citizens. What the country requires to move forward are leaders with the goodwill to engage citizens.

Join the debate and tell us your experiences with your leaders. Who has been the most accessible and worst accessible leader or government official in your opinion? Why do you say so? Do you agree with our list?
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