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Mugabe does not have the authority to take my powers - Chamisa
Thomas Shumba, Harare Tribune
April 10, 2009

View article on the Harare Tribune website

Hours after it was revealed that his powers as Minister of Information Communication Technology have been handed over to a ZANU-PF cadre Nicholas Goche by Mugabe, the MDC-M's Nelson Chamisa has said Mugabe doesn't have the authority to strip of his ministerial powers.

Chimasa said that "Mugabe does not have those powers, those powers in the inclusive government arrangement lie with the three principals," referring to Mugabe, Tsvangirai and the Prof. Mutambara who jointly form the head of the inclusive govt.

A shocked Chamisa also said that the three principals "have not advised me that I have been demoted or that my ministry has been disbanded as I read in The Herald." He dismissed the Herald report that said he been demoted as a joke.

"I will not take things from The Herald, which is notorious for telling lies, so maybe its just a way of misleading people," Chamisa said.

Reports had indicated that Mugabe had expanded the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development to include the Department of Communications and that the new portfolio would now become the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development under Minister Nicholas Goche.

The newly created ministry took over more than 90% of the functions of Chamisa's ministry, leading to observations by Zimbabweans that Chamisa had been effectively demoted.

ZANU-PF insiders have said that Chamisa will now only be in charge of government software needs.

Chamisa said he will only hand over his ministerial functions to Goche if the other two inclusive govt. principals, Tsvangirai and the Prof. Mutambara, told him to do so.

However, the Harare Tribune heard that Tsvangirai was unlikely to agree to Mugabe's demotion of Chamisa, setting the stage for another round of confusion in the inclusive govt. If Tsvangirai were to agree to Chamisa's demotion, the MDC would be cut off from anything to do with information dissemination as ZANU-PF will be in charge of ZBC to telephones.

In handing over more powers to Goche, Mugabe was responding to pressure from ZANU-PF hardliners who told him that it was a blunder to leave the MDC in charge of communications in the country. In order to safeguard ZANU-PF's position in the 2011 elections, it was necessary to stay in charge of the information ministry but of the commutations portfolio also, ZANU-PF cronies led by George Charamba told him.

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