“Mugabe Must Stop Handing Out Cabinet Posts Like Sweets To Friends”-MDC

THE MDC formation led by Professor Welshman Ncube says President Robert Mugabe must stop “handing out cabinet posts as if he is giving sweets to his friends” at a time when the economy is dwindling.

The party said this at the weekend when it was reacting to the aging leader’s Friday appointments in which he added an astounding 14 ministers to an already bloated cabinet.

In his latest cabinet appointments, Mugabe created other ministries before assigning a former ZBC newsman Makhosini Hlongwani to the minister without portfolio post.

“It is unacceptable that he hands out cabinet posts as if he is handing out sweets to his friends when government claims it has no money,” said Kurauone Chihwayi the MDC national spokesperson in a statement.

Last week an economist Prosper Chitambira told a policy dialogue meeting that Zimbabwe was over governed when compared with big economies like South Africa and America.

He said instead of increasing the cabinet government should reduce the number of ministers and create a fiscal space.

Chihwai said as MDC they view the recent Cabinet appointments as a desperate move by Mugabe to thank “his friends and relatives” who have helped him cling on to power.

“To us as MDC, these appointments are all about President Mugabe’s attempts to repay political debts and trying to hold together a fast fracturing Zanu PF, at a huge cost to the rest of the Zimbabwean population,” he said.

“It is shocking that at a time when the unemployment rate is soaring above 90 per cent and government is failing to adequately pay civil servants and threatening to retrench a sizable portion to try and cut on government expenditure, President Mugabe elects to multiply his cabinet and reward his friends and allies with cushy jobs with cushy benefits which will cost the ordinary people millions of dollars.”

Among the new ministers appointed Friday is Mugabe’s nephew Patrick Zhuwao, a son to the late Sabina Mugabe.

Sabina was president Mugabe’s dearest and closet sibling.source-newzimbabwe. see more at www.newzimbabwevision.com