Maravi

Mugabe set to appoint acting ministers

Mugabe set to appoint acting ministers
The Herald/TZG/AFP reporters
Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:23:00 +0000

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe is likely to appoint acting ministers in the next few weeks to carry out duties that MDC-T Cabinet members are not discharging as they are on strike over the indictment of their party's treasurer and financier, Roy Bennett.

MDC-T ministers did not attend Cabinet yesterday for the second successive week and for the third time since the formation of the inclusive Government in February.

Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu told public media yesterday that the impending agricultural season increased the likelihood of President Mugabe appointing acting ministers so that farmers would not be hampered in their preparations by MDC-T’s "disengagement" from the Government.

Shamu said: "With the agricultural season upon us, the issue of portfolio leadership at ministerial level has to be addressed by His Excellency the President as the Head of State and Government one way or the other.

"His Excellency may have to consider appointing ministers in an acting capacity to key ministries for the sake of a successful agricultural season and general economic turnaround.

"Important Cabinet decisions have to be translated into action expeditiously," he said.

Speaking separately to The Herald newspaper Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made reiterated minister Shamu's statement. He said the "disengagement" was negatively affecting the activities of the inter-ministerial committee on agricultural inputs.

The agriculture-related ministries headed by MDC-T appointees are Finance, Economic Planning, Water Resources and Development among others. These ministries are headed by Tendai Biti, Elton Mangoma and Samuel Sipepa Nkomo of the MDC-T party.

These ministers are currently on strike over "outstanding issues" and are not attending Cabinet meetings.

Made said: "The inter-ministerial committee on agricultural inputs comprising myself, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Industry and Commerce is being hampered.

"The nation relies on the Minister of Finance to financially guarantee Government’s commitment and to seek lines of credit for input procurement and distribution through Grain Marketing Board depots.

"In his absence, our hands are tied to the detriment of expectant farmers. The rainy season is upon us and the season cannot wait for MDC-T to decide to reverse their decision."

"If a planting deadline is October 15, it will not change because someone has disengaged. It means the whole country has to wait for October 15, 2010," added Made.

He said farmers had "taken enough" over the years and did not need to be frustrated by politicians.

"We missed the winter wheat season and now we cannot miss the summer cropping season because of a stayaway."

President Mugabe accused Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Saturday of failing to act in the national interest.

"You will always get people in any arrangement who are guided by little emotional thoughts and act in accordance with them and who would want things to go their way, and not the national way, and not the agreed way," President Mugabe said.

The two leaders met on Tuesday to consider MDC-T demands. President Mugabe is said to have stuck with the decisions of the Zanu PF Politburo, the highest decision making body outside of Congress, not to give the MDC-T party any more concessions until they meet their part of the bargain.

President Mugabe accusses the party of failing to call for the lifting of illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe and supporting the work of pirate radio stations beaming into Zimbabwe illegally.

Labels: MUGABE, ROY BENNETT, WEBSTER SHAMU

posted by MrK @ 4:25 AM