Mugabe recalls Zimbabwe's UN rep

Mugabe recalls Zimbabwe's UN rep
By Kingsley Kaswende in Harare, Zimbabwe
Sat 24 July 2010, 15:00 CAT

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has recalled his top diplomat at the United Nations (UN) in New York.

An official government gazette on Wednesday stated that President Mugabe had recalled Ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku, who has been Zimbabwe’s permanent Representative at the UN in New York over the past seven years.

Chidyausiku has been recalled to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs head office in Harare. Foreign affairs secretary Joey Bimha confirmed Chidyausiku’s recall but said it was part of President Mugabe’s restructuring and plan to reshuffle some foreign missions.

“The President has reassigned ambassadors who are already serving to other stations,” Bimha said.


During his tenure, Ambassador Chidyausiku saw the re-election of Zimbabwe to the UN Commission for Human Rights for a three-year term from January 1, 2006.


Ambassador Chidyausiku also recently drafted an agreement that seeks to ensure a nuclear-free world.

The draft proposes a 26-point plan to establish global peace and security.


The outspoken ambassador recently saw China and Russia block a US draft resolution in the UN Security Council that would have slapped sanctions on Zimbabwe by highlighting the partial manner the world body was handling Zimbabwe.

Ambassador Chidyausiku will be replaced by Ambassador Chitsaka Chipaziwa, who was Zimbabwe’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva.

Chipaziwa will be replaced by Ambassador James Manzou who, prior to his reassignment, headed Zimbabwe’s mission in Angola.


In another development, Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo, who was Zimbabwe’s envoy to South Africa, has also left the foreign service to work full time at the ZANU-PF Headquarters in Harare following his election as party national chairman at the party convention last year.

Ambassador Phelekezela Mphoko, who was Zimbabwe’s top diplomat in Moscow, Russia, will replace him in South Africa.


Ambassador Moyo was at the helm of Zimbabwe’s mission in Pretoria for the past decade.


During his tenure, former South African president Thabo Mbeki brokered the Global Political Agreement, which saw the formation of the inclusive government by the country’s three major political parties.

President Mugabe also appointed Mary Mubi, who has been the country’s representative in Sweden, to represent the country in Italy and at the Food and Agriculture Organisation headquartered in Rome.

Ambassador Mubi takes over from Margaret Muchada, who is yet to be re-assigned.

Former Ambassador to Australia Stephen Chiketa has been moved to Stockholm, Sweden, to take over from Mubi.