Harare– Industry and Commerce Minister Ngobizitha Mangaliso Ndhlovu has appointed eight new members to the board of the Zimbabwe Development Corporation (ZDC), effective immediately, according to a government notice published on April 17, 2026.

The appointments, made in terms of section 4(1) of the Zimbabwe Development Corporation Act [Chapter 24:15], are for a fixed term of three years.

The newly constituted board comprises Ms. Anna Dudzai Mpofu, Mrs. Debra Makwara, Mrs. Cythia Pilile Mawema, Mr. Denford Mutashu, Mr. Clifford Mumbengegwi, Mr. Andrew Tafa Taka, and Mrs. Kudzai Shawatu.

General Notice 414 of 2026 confirms that the appointments took effect from the date of signing by the minister. The ZDC is a key state-owned enterprise mandated to promote industrial and commercial development across Zimbabwe.

Ms Anna Dudzai Mpofu is a commercial lawyer and chartered arbitrator based in Zimbabwe. She specialises in high-stakes disputes related to investment, commercial transactions, and construction. She is also a certified mediator and arbitrator. Her practice includes conflict resolution and the development of governance and compliance frameworks aimed at supporting secure economic growth.

Mrs. Debra Makwara is a Zimbabwean corporate leader and public governance professional. She is a known advocate for modern, value-driven corporate governance, having spoken at forums hosted by the Institute of Directors Zimbabwe. In these engagements, she has argued that governance must move beyond compliance to focus on institutional resilience, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) expectations, and long-term value creation.

Cynthia Mawema is a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) specialist with more than 13 years of experience in the field. She currently works as an independent consultant. Mawema’s professional roles include evaluation specialist, facilitator, peacebuilder, and development assistance practitioner. She is also an advocate for the Eval4Action initiative, a global campaign to promote equity and use of evaluation data.

Dr Denford Mutashu is a Zimbabwean retail executive and FIFA-licensed players’ agent. He spent 17 years at Food World, rising from cleaner to general manager, and became a regular media commentator on retail pricing and product availability. He founded Confederation of Zimvabwe Retailers (CZR) in 2009 which was registered as a deed of trust in 2013. Mutashu also founded the SC11 Soccer Academy with Irish coach Sean Conner and continues to run retail businesses.

Mrs Kudzai Shawatu, a respected educationalist with more than 20 years of experience in leadership and governance at elite all-girls institutions. She has been serving as Head of Arundel School in Harare since 2021, where she focuses on empowering young women for global environments. She also holds an Executive Master’s degree from the Glion Institute of Higher Education, with training in strategic thinking and stakeholder management.

In addition to her academic role, she brings her background in institutional leadership and sustainable business modeling to the Zimbabwe Development Corporation (ZDC), where she contributes to state-led industrial and enterprise development.