Mugabe snubs Tsvangirai on government appointments

In a move likely to cause fresh fissures in the wobbly inclusive government, President Robert Mugabe has snubbed Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai by making key government appointments without consulting his coalition government partner.

The Global Political Agreement (GPA), signed between Mugabe (on behalf of Zanu-PF), Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara (for the MDCs) in September 2008, stipulates that Mugabe should consult his partners when making key government appointments.

But last Thursday, Mugabe unilaterally appointed Justice Anne-Mary Gowora and Justice Yunus Omerjee to the Supreme Court bench while Advocate Happias Zhou joined the High Court, reported the Newsday.

This has raised tempers and highlights what observers have described as Mugabe's intransigence and how he continues to undermine the power-sharing agreement.

Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs Obert Gutu also said he was not consulted on the key judiciary appointments, neither was he invited to the swearing-in ceremony of the judges at State House.

Tsvangirai was not present at the occasion, which was attended by Justice and Legal Affairs minister Patrick Chinamasa, High Court and Supreme Court judges and senior members from the legal fraternity.

MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora said the party was unhappy that Mugabe had snubbed Tsvangirai over the appointments.

According to the State media: "The appointments were done following consultation with the Judicial Service Commission as prescribed by the law.

The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (Mugabe) made the appointments in terms of Section 84 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe."

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba yesterday admitted Tsvangirai was not consulted, but said Mugabe was exercising his constitutional powers by appointing service chiefs.

"Yes, it's not in the spirit of GPA, but it's in the spirit of the law. That's all what matters," Charamba said.