Harare — FORMER Public Service and National Housing Minister Frederick Shava is tipped to take over as Zimbabwe's ambassador to China from Chris Mutsvangwa, who had an inglorious exit from the vast Asian state, one of the few nations that still back Harare's controversial policies.

Highly placed sources said Shava, the ruling party's director, sidelined in 1987 after being caught in what came to be known as the 'Willowgate scandal' but whose star started shining again in the mid-1990s, had been given the thumbs up by influential ZANU PF bigwigs.

"It is just a matter of time before an appropriate announcement is made," said a party insider.

If appointed, Shava will have the unenviable task of transforming China-Zimbabwe relations from political rhetoric into commercial ties beneficial to both countries.

Ranked one of the world's fastest growing economies, China has signed a number of MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) with state-owned enterprises in Zimbabwe and has supplied Zimbabwe with buses, civilian and military aircraft.

But not much has come out of China's friendship despite it being touted as one of Zimbabwe's biggest trading partners.

Zimbabwe's exclusion from President Hu Jintao's itinerary during his recent visit to eight African states including South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia in January this year has been taken to mean that China's patience with Zimbabwe could be wearing thin because of Harare's failure to translate political rhetoric into action.

Jintao's visit was aimed at enhancing existing ties and expanding China's influence across the continent.

President Robert Mugabe has adopted a "Look East" policy after being ostracised by the West over alleged human rights abuses. The Zimbabwean leader has however scoffed at the allegations, saying his government is being vilified for addressing historical imbalances by parcelling out land from the minority whites to landless blacks.

In contrast, while China is experiencing a major boom, Zimbabwe has been ranked as one of the world's fastest shrinking economies with unemployment standing at above 80 percent and inflation at 1 729 percent.

Shava fell from grace after he was convicted for his involvement in the Willowgate scandal in which five senior government ministers were forced to resign for using their privileged positions to buy new cars from Willowvale Mazda Motor Industries at a fixed price without paying sales tax.

The vehicles were then sold well above the maximum price allowed by the country's laws.

In 1987, President Mugabe pardoned Shava and after spending some years in the political wilderness, the former Public Service Minister bounced back at the ZANU PF headquarters.

Shava, who chaired Zidco Holdings from 1980 to 1998, is currently embroiled in a bitter legal tussle with Patrick Kombayi, a senior Movement for Democratic Change official. Kombayi successfully obtained writs of execution against Shava and Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Rural Housing Minister, for allegedly making false claims about the Gweru-based businessman regarding his role during the liberation struggle.

Shava alleged in a book written by Midlands State University vice-chancellor Professor Ngwabi Bhebe on the late vice-president Simon Muzenda entitled Simon Muzenda and The Struggle for the Liberation of Zimbabwe that Kombayi was part of a clique in 1977 and 1978 together with Henry Hamadziripi and others that plotted to derail the liberation struggle.