By Business Reporter- The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has dismissed its General Manager, Ms. Respina Zinyanduko.
Zinyanduko was relieved of her duties on Friday and has been replaced by Mrs. Ainah Dube-Kaguru in an acting capacity until a substantive general manager is appointed.
According to a statement issued by the NRZ board, the leadership change was necessary to “realign and restructure the NRZ business in line with the expectations of the shareholder.”
“The board of directors of the National Railways of Zimbabwe wishes to inform the public that Ms. Respina Zinyanduko has ceased to be the general manager of the NRZ with effect from 31 January 2025.
“This has been necessitated by the need to realign and restructure the NRZ business in line with the expectations of the shareholder. The NRZ board, management, and staff thank Ms. Zinyanduko for her service as general manager and wish her well in her future endeavors,” the statement read.
While the NRZ claims the move is part of broader reforms, critics argue that the parastatal has long been crippled by mismanagement, corruption, and political interference, dating back to the tenure of Air Commodore Mike Karakadzai, who served as General Manager from 2005 until his death in 2013.
Karakadzai, a former Air Force of Zimbabwe officer, was accused of overseeing a period of severe decline at NRZ, characterized by deteriorating infrastructure, unpaid salaries, and massive operational inefficiencies.
The parastatal’s woes deepened in 2018 when the government controversially procured obsolete locomotives and wagons from South Africa’s Transnet, despite warnings from experts that they were incompatible with Zimbabwe’s rail network.
The deal, which was presented as a major breakthrough in reviving NRZ’s operations, soon proved disastrous as the acquired trains remained largely non-operational due to technical faults.
The failed acquisition highlighted deep-seated corruption and lack of strategic planning within NRZ management.
Beyond NRZ, the abuse of state-owned enterprises for political gain has been a recurrent issue under the ruling ZANU PF government.
Similar mismanagement has plagued the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO), which has been heavily exploited for electioneering purposes.
Instead of running a commercially viable public transport service, ZUPCO has been turned into a ZANU PF campaign tool, with buses frequently commandeered for political rallies, often at the expense of regular commuters.