Mugabe 'trims' powers of MDC Ministers

By Fortune Tazvida

The world’s oldest Head of State reacted bitterly to the maintenance of targeted sanctions on members of his regime by trying to trim the powers of ministers in the MDC and hopefully trigger the collapse of the coalition government.

Despite the power sharing agreement making it clear decisions can only be made by consensus the 86 year old Robert Mugabe published a statutory instrument on Friday claiming to have made changes to several ministerial mandates.

The instrument claims to have taken the administration of the Post and Telecommunications Act and the Interception of Communication Act from the Information Communication Technology Ministry run by the MDC’s Nelson Chamisa.

Mugabe says he has given administration of the interception act to the office of the President and Cabinet (meaning CIO) while Nicholas Goche’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development takes over the Telecoms Act.

The first time Mugabe tried to do this last year Chamisa told us, ‘What Mr Mugabe has announced is a proposition that will not attract the cooperation of myself, and hopefully my party. I am not in Mr Mugabe’s government; I am in an inclusive government. I can’t be demoted by one principal without the other principals agreeing… it has to be a collective.’

“For one boss to give me instructions through a newspaper is something I don’t take lightly. Even in banana republics things like this don’t happen. We should be clear, I am the minister in charge of communications in this country, I can’t be demoted and I cannot have my ministry dissolved,’ Chamisa fumed.

In April 2009 Mugabe hoping to torpedo the unity government made a similar move and only retreated when Tsvangirai stood his ground calling the move ‘null and void’.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti told Voice of America that Mugabe’s actions will seriously affect government operations.

“I am afraid to say that clearly there has not been consultation between the prime minister and the president which is clearly in breach of the Schedule 8 of the Global Political Agreement. I am afraid to say it is going to be a serious area of contestation between the two political formations.” Nehanda Radio

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