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Zimbabwe: Mugabe Claims All Key Ministries
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President Robert Mugabe has made a bid to claim unilaterally key government ministries - including defence, foreign affairs and home affairs - in Zimbabwe's new power-sharing government. But his main opponents have rejected the move as "a giant act of madness."
The Herald newspaper, an organ of Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, published a report on Saturday saying that Mugabe had allocated ministries among the three parties which signed the country's recent power-sharing agreement. The newspaper said he had formally published the allocation in Zimbabwe's government gazette. It claimed that only the ministry of finance remained the subject of dispute between the parties.
But the Movement for Democratic Change of Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai issued a statement saying Mugabe had acted unilaterally overnight on Friday night in a bid to pre-empt the intervention of former President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the Southern African Development Community mediator on Zimbabwe. Mbeki is due in Zimbabwe within days.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said Mugabe had gazetted the ministries only hours after parties had referred the logjam over all key ministries to Mbeki. Chamisa called the Herald report's list a "wish list of ministries" which was "a product of unilateral, contemptuous and outrageous machinations by Zanu-PF."
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He said Mugabe's move "puts the whole deal into jeopardy. Zanu-PF cannot nocturnally allocate ministries barely hours after the three principals agreed to disagree by referring the matter to the mediator..."
Robert Mugabe 
Zanu-PF, which until recently had complete control over all Zimbabwean cabinet posts, has reassigned control of these in a process separate from the power sharing negotiations which are taking place. This move seems aimed at giving Zanu-PF, the party lead by Robert Mugabe, control of the most important government ministries.   The move will not be official, however, until approved in the power sharing negotiations.

The move was announced yesterday in The Herald, a newspaper run by Zanu-PF, and was criticized heavily from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which is led by Morgan Tsvangirai. 

"The MDC dismisses the Zanu PF's unilaterally gazetted wish list of ministries, which is a betrayal of the wishes, expectations and aspirations of the majority of Zimbabweans," said the MDC in a press release. "The Herald-published list of ministries is a product of unilateral, contemptuous and outrageous machinations by Zanu PF. In fact, it is a giant act of madness which puts the whole deal into jeopardy. Zanu PF cannot nocturnally allocate ministries barely hours after the three principals agreed to disagree by referring the matter to the mediator after a logjam over all key ministries."

"Zanu PF's ploy is to preempt the visit of the mediator and any attempt by SADC to try and help Zimbabweans locate exit points to the current impasse," added the press release.

===Zanu-PF allocation of ministries===





 Ministry

 Controlling Party



 Defence

Zanu-PF



 Home Affairs

Zanu-PF



 Foreign Affairs

Zanu-PF



 Transport

Zanu-PF



 Local Government and Urban Development

Zanu-PF



 Mines and Mining Development

Zanu-PF



 Lands, Agriculture and Resettlement

Zanu-PF



 Environment, Natural Resources and Tourism

Zanu-PF



 Higher and Tertiary Education

Zanu-PF



 Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development

Zanu-PF



 Justice and Legal Affairs

Zanu-PF



 Media, Information and Publicity

Zanu-PF



 Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development

Zanu-PF



 Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment

Zanu-PF



 Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs

MDC



 Economic Planning and Investment Promotion

MDC



 Energy and Power Development

MDC



 Health and Child Welfare

MDC



 Labour and Social Welfare

MDC



 Water Resources Development and Management

MDC



  Public Service

MDC



  Sport, Arts and Culture

MDC



 State Enterprise and Parastatals

MDC



 Science and Technology Development

MDC



 Information Communication Technology

MDC



 Public Works

MDC



 National Housing and Social Amenities

MDC



 Regional Integration and International Co-operation

MDC



 Education

MDC



 Industry and Commerce

MDC



 Finance

Not allocated