Mugabe told to trim Cabinet

FORMER Chivi South MP Ivene Dzingirai has called on President Robert Mugabe to trim his bloated Cabinet which he described as duplicating roles and a burden to the fiscus, the Southern Eye reported.

Mugabe's Cabinet has 25 ministries, four Ministers of State, 10 Provincial Affairs ministers and 24 deputy ministers whose perks are borne by the taxpayer.

Addressing journalists in Masvingo over the weekend, Dzingirai, a former Zanu-PF MP, said under the current economic environment where the government was struggling to pay its workforce on time, some complimentary ministries should be combined to reduce costs.

Dzingirai proposed that the Defence and State Securities ministries should be combined while the Mines and Energy ministries should be merged. He said the Lands and Agriculture ministries would be more effective if they were under one minister.