Former Studio 263 Actress Tatenda Mavetera Appointed Minister
President Mnangagwa yesterday announced his new Cabinet ensuring a delicate balance between change and continuity, women and men and the country’s 10 provinces saw young people like Chikomba West Member of Parliament, Tatenda Mavetera, a former actress, being appointed into the new Cabinet.
Mavetera is now the Minister of Information Communication Technology.
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Addressing journalists at State House in Harare yesterday, President Mnangagwa, who was flanked by his deputies, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and Vice President Kembo Mohadi, said he will be making further appointments today.
Who Is Tatenda Mavetera
Mavetera’s path of personal development and determination began at the age of 15, when she attended an audition for the well-known Zimbabwean TV series “Studio 263”.
She was cast in the part of Tendai Jari, a rebellious adolescent who eloped with her lover in defiance of her parents. She won the 2003 National Arts Merit Award for Best Actress thanks to her talent as an actor.
Later, she gave up acting and began presenting a talk-show programme called Timeout with Tatenda, which addressed current events that had an impact on people’s lives.
Additionally, she appeared in the movie The Zimbabwe I Know, which was directed by well-known Nigerian actor Ejike Asiegbu.
However, Mavetera had far greater aspirations. She made the switch from acting to politics with a steadfast dedication to bringing about constructive change.
Fueled by a desire to make a difference in the lives of marginalised individuals, particularly young girls, she embarked on a new chapter of her life as a parliamentarian.
“People didn’t take me seriously of course, but for me, the drama I used to act in was more like a real movie or real drama so people would relate to what I was acting, and it actually helped me. For me, I never got people to think that I wasn’t serious. It’s only now that if you start acting that people will not take you seriously,” she told ZimSeen.
Mavetera added: “When you are young people don’t really believe that you can be, that’s why you realise that I was a PR and now I have to represent Zanu-PF in a constituency. As you grow, you realise that this is the greatest thing I have to do which is to represent the people. So, for me, here is where I’m today. I managed to capitalise on the experiences I had that when I represent the people, I show them that I’m a mature person.”
As a parliamentarian, Mavetera has had an opportunity to be an assistant speaker which is a position to chair parliament and moderate within the house.
“This was a great challenge and opportunity at the same time for me which was supposed to help me gain experience of how to handle the house and know parliamentary proceedings. This then pushed me to be able to be well versed with all the happenings of parliament,” she said.
She would later on go to represent Zimbabwe in Africa where she was then elected to become the first vice president of pan African parliament in the youth caucus.
