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(TALKZIMBABWE) President Mugabe allocates ministries

President Mugabe allocates ministries
Our reporter/Herald
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:44:00 +0000

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has gazetted ministries allocated to Zanu-PF, MDC-T and MDC in terms of the power-sharing agreement signed by the three parties. The allocation was effected after a series of meetings held this week by the principals which resolved to call in the facilitator to finalize the stages of Cabinet formation.

The ministries were gazetted under Section (L) of the Functions and Powers of the President outlined in the power-sharing agreement.

The section states that the Head of State shall after consultation with the Vice Presidents, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers, allocate ministerial portfolios in accordance with the agreement.

After the assignment of ministries to the parties, President Mugabe is expected to sign the necessary papers for the appointment of the Vice Presidents, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers.

After their appointments, MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC counterpart Arthur Mutambara would have three months to find seats in Parliament.

The President would then receive nominations of ministerial appointees from the two MDC formations for appointment into Cabinet.

Sources in the Zanu-PF party told the Herald newspaper that President Mugabe has already agreed on the line-up of ministers to be appointed from the Zanu PF party.

In the 31-member Cabinet, Zanu-PF — which won the popular vote on March 29 — has 15 ministries, MDC-T 13 while MDC-M has three.

The principals are now expected to assign their members in the portfolios who will then be appointed by President Mugabe.

No appointments would, however, be made until the facilitator, former South African president Thabo Mbeki, has come to assist on the outstanding ministry — Finance, which President Mugabe provisionally assigned to Zanu PF, according to the Government Gazette.

Under the Constitution of Zimbabwe, President Mugabe will remain Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces. He also appoints the two Vice Presidents, the Prime Minister and the two Deputy Prime Ministers.

The PM directs the operations of Government, conducts the business of Government in Parliament and exercises any other function including the administration of any Act of Parliament or of any Ministry or department that the President may assign to him..

The assignment of ministries was done in terms of Paragraph (a) of Subsection (1) of Section 31 D of the Constitution.

The ministries are as follows.

Zanu PF party

1. Defence
2. Home Affairs
3. Foreign Affairs
4. Transport
5. Local Government and Urban Development
6. Mines and Mining Development
7. Lands, Agriculture and Resettlement
8. Environment, Natural Resources and Tourism
9. Higher and Tertiary Education
10. Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development
11. Justice and Legal Affairs
12. Media, Information and Publicity
13. Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development
14. Youth Development, Indigenization and Empowerment
15. Finance (tentatively pending mediation)

MDC-Tsvangirai party

1. Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs
2. Economic Planning and Investment Promotion
3. Energy and Power Development
4. Health and Child Welfare
5. Labour and Social Welfare
6. Water Resources Development and Management
7 . Public Service
8. Sport, Arts and Culture
9. State Enterprise and Parastatals
10. Science and Technology Development
11. Information Communication Technology
12. Public Works
13. National Housing and Social Amenities

MDC-Mutambara party

1. Regional Integration and International Co-operation
2. Education
3. Industry and Commerce

NB: Finance is still in dispute.

Labels: MDC, MoU, NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT

posted by MrK @ 7:34 PM