Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Ministers from MDC and ZANU PF take the oath of office in front of Mugabe and Tsvangirai in February this year. Mugabe announced yesterday through his Ministers of Information and Agricultural Mechanisation that he may appoint Acting Ministers to take over from MDC-T ministers because government business is being affected by the Prime Minister's decision not to attend cabinet. Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 October 2009 Robert The Solution Mugabe has now come up with another one, this time sending his ministers to spread word that he is considering firing "key" MDC-T ministers and appointing Acting ministers in their stead. This is not posturing or empty threats. Instead, it is a well-calculated move designed specifically to divert attention. Here's how. After Mugabe appoints the Acting Ministers, what will happen is that he would have set the agenda. The end result will be that, all of a sudden, the appointment of Acting Ministers will suddenly become THE issue. People will st...

Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T Deputy, Thokozani Khupe, working as usual on Monday, 19 October 2009 (day before yesterday) in Tsvangirai's government office at the Presidential Office Building, Munhumutapa in Harare. Tsvangirai later left the same day to tour Southern African countries to drum up support for his pull-out from "engagement" with ZANU PF in Cabinet and the Council of Ministers. This was to demonstrate that he has not left government and is still reporting for work as Prime Minister, although he and Mugabe are no longer talking to each other. I thought he said Mugabe was "The Solution"? Harare, Zimbabwe, 21 October 2009 Robert "The Solution" Mugabe yesterday convened cabinet despite the absence of MDC-Tsvangirai ministers. The Tsvangirai camp ministers, however, reported for work at their offices before proceeding to hold their own "cabinet" meeting at Harvest House in Harare. The move by Tsvangirai's ministers to hold a ca...

SITTING PRETTY: Robert "The Solution" Mugabe is now supremely confident and secure in his position, thanks to Prime Minister Tsvangirai. None of this is likely to change Nothing will come of it, of course. You have, I am sure, heard by now that the MDC-T boycotted cabinet today. They were protesting the moving of cabinet from Tuesday to Monday. They figured the move by Mugabe, who leaves for an African Union Summit in Libya on Tuesday (today), was designed to deny the Prime Minister the opportunity to chair cabinet. The boycott is mere posturing, of course. The threat by Deputy PM Thokozani Khupe that the MDC-T reserves the right to disengage from the Coalition government is also hollow and only serves to drive the final nail into any prospects for recovery. More importantly, though, people must also realise that this is mere posturing, designed to hoodwink the public into thinking the MDC-T has finally retrieved its spine from the trash can. After all, Simba Makoni is launch...