Mugabe retains hardliners

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe named a new cabinet on Sunday retaining most of the loyal stalwarts who have presided over the southern African nation’s controversial land redistribution programme, state media announced.

Only Finance Minister Simba Makoni, seen by many as one of the more moderate members of the cabinet, and the ailing white member of Mugabe’s cabinet, Health Minister Timothy Stamps were dropped.

Makoni had called for policies unpopular with Mugabe such as devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar. He was replaced by former Trade Minister Herbert Murerwa.

Stamps was replaced by his deputy David Parirenyatwa. Lands Minister Joseph Made, whose ministry has presided over Zimbabwe’s eviction of white farmers to make way for landless blacks, and Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, who has crafted tough new information laws, retained their posts.

Other ministers have been reshuffled, and there is only one new face — that of Amos Midzi a former diplomat and tourism official who becomes minister of the new ministry of energy and power development.

Hardliners like Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, Rural Resources and Water Development Minister Joyce Mujuru and Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge — all of whom have supported Mugabe through increasing international isolation — kept their posts.

Mugabe, who this month has faced mounting international

criticism over his eviction of white farmers, announced that he was dissolving his cabinet late on Friday, five months after a disputed win in the March presidential elections.

Legal experts had suggested that he was obliged to appoint a cabinet soon after his inauguration, although state media this weekend claimed that was not true.

In other changes announced, the new minister of trade is Samuel Mumbengegwi, who was the higher education minister.

Former Home Affairs Minister John Nkomo takes over a new portfolio — minister of special affairs in the president’s office.

The new home affairs minister is Kembo Mohadi, formerly deputy minister of local government.

Six new deputy ministers have also been appointed.

There has been no word yet about the positions of the two ageing vice-presidents, Joseph Msika and Simon Muzenda, both 79, who had been widely expected to be retired and replaced by other close associates of Mugabe.

Witness Mangwende becomes the new minister of transport and communications. He is a veteran politician and supporter of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) and has in the past held senior government posts.

This is the first new cabinet since one appointed after

parliamentary elections in June 2000, although there have been minor reshuffles following the death of two cabinet ministers in car accidents and the resignation of one other last year.

The leader of the country’s main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsvangirai said to comment on the new cabinet would give credit to an illegitimate leader.

The MDC has rejected the outcome of the March presidential elections, which saw President Robert Mugabe defeating Tsvangirai by about 400 000 votes in an election considered deeply flawed by western observers.

”How do you expect me to make a comment on a cabinet appointed by an illegitimate President,” said Tsvangirai.

Economic analyst John Robertson said the axing of finance minister Makoni was of ”little consequence” as he ”wasn’t allowed to do what he wanted to”.

”Our political structure leaves Mugabe with all the power,” Robertson noted, adding that Makoni could now give ”a huge sigh of relief” at having been relieved of tasks he had no authority to perform.

Commenting on the new cabinet on Sunday, the privately-owned Standard newspaper described the new cabinet as ”a non-event which came as a big yawn to Zimbabweans who had hoped for a progressive and forward-looking cabinet”.