HARARE (AA) – President Robert Mugabe announced on Tuesday his much-awaited new government, nearly a month since he and his ZANUPF party won elections.
Mugabe, 89, reduced the number of ministers from 33 in the previous government to 26.
There were no major changes in the cabinet as the president named the same people who have been in government for the past several years.
In an official list released by the State House, Mugabe retained most of his trusted ministers such as the ministers of defense, foreign affairs and home affairs.
Francis Nhema, a moderate and former environment minister, was appointed minister of empowerment.
Mugabe has pledged to accelerate plans to take 51% stake in foreign owned banks and mining companies.
Top ZANUPF legal official and former Attorney General Patrick Chinamasa was named Finance Minister.
Mugabe, who won 61 percent of the vote in July 31 polls, did not include any minister from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
The new cabinet marks the end of a coalition government with Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC, which was formed in 2008 after a disputed election.
Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since its independence 33 years ago.
Some expect this to be his last government amid speculation he might step down and let a younger leader from within his party finish his new five-year term.
- Controversial
The most controversial appointment was naming Professor Jonathan Moyo as Information and Publicity Minister.
Moyo held the same portfolio between 2002 and 2005 before he was dismissed from the government in 2005.
He was responsible for crafting the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which caused suffering among journalists through unlawful incarceration and closure of newspapers such as the Daily News and The Tribune.
Moyo also banned foreign media like BCC and CNN from reporting in Zimbabwe.
But he fell out of favor with Mugabe when he allegedly masterminded the re-arrangement of the ZANUPF presidium.
In November 2004, Mugabe blocked Moyo's nomination into the central committee and dropped him from the politburo of ZANUPF.
Moyo was subsequently expelled as a cabinet minister in February 2005.
He stood for parliamentary elections as an independent candidate the same year and won a seat.
Moyo joined the ruling party in 2009.
He lost his parliamentary seat in the July 31 elections but was appointed minister.
The current constitution allows the president to appoint 5 ministers who did not win parliamentary seats.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
