Mugabe shrinks MDC Ministers’ powers – again

By Violet Gonda
8 March 2010

The MDC-T has sharply criticised the latest ‘provocative’ moves by Robert Mugabe to reassign fundamental roles from ministries belonging to the MDC. A government gazette published on Friday reallocated and diverted certain responsibilities and portfolios for ministries that are controlled by the MDC to those controlled by ZANU PF.

MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa accused Mugabe of trying to reverse the spirit of power-sharing by unilaterally trimming down the powers of the MDC-T ministries of Information, Communication Technology; Constitution and Parliamentary Affairs; Science and Technology; Parastatals and State Enterprise and the MDC-M’s Regional Integration and International Co-operation Ministry. The MDC says this is in gross violation of the Global Political Agreement.
Chamisa said the Principals – Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara - were meeting to discuss the issue on Monday. There was no update on the outcome of the meeting by the time of broadcast.

However Chamisa said: “This is all trying to have the MDC as an accessory… a mere decorative element without necessarily being part of this government. Failure to solve this would mean a disaster for the inclusive government.”

Although Mugabe is entitled under the law to assign functions to ministers, he still has to consult his partners in government on the allocation of the ministries, according to the GPA.
This is also the second time that he has stripped Chamisa’s powers and transferred them to ZANU PF transport Minister Nicholas Goche. The first time there was such an outcry that he had to backtrack.
There are also fears that serious repression will continue, since the draconian Interception of Communications Act, which was under Chamisa’s ministry, has now been transferred to the President’ Office – home of the Central Intelligence Organisation.

The legal monitor, Veritas, pointed out that several other Acts have surprisingly been assigned to the President’s Office and Cabinet instead of to a minister. The pressure group pointed out that there is no constitutional provision for Acts to be administered by the Office of the President and Cabinet.

Veritas said the assignments which are ‘legally questionable’ include; The Emergency Powers Act (previously with Home Affairs); Zimbabwe National Security Council Act (a new Act not previously assigned); Procurement Act and the Commissions of Inquiry Act;

In another surprise move the MDC-T’s Eric Matinenga, who is the Minister of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs, will not be responsible for the Electoral Act nor the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Act and Human Rights Commission Act. These have been assigned to ZANU PF’s Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa. A very worrying move that does not bode well for the next election.
These latest developments come barely a month after the controversial indigenisation policy was gazetted, allegedly without the MDC’s knowledge.