Mnangagwa gives key roles to military in first cabinet

ZIMBABWE’S new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, faced criticism yesterday for unveiling a debut cabinet that named two military allies to top positions, reappointed figures from Robert Mugabe’s discredited era, and sidelined the opposition.

Mr Mnangagwa gave key jobs to two top military officers, including Sibusiso Moyo, a major general who on Nov 15 went on state television to announce the military’s takeover – a power grab which climaxed a week later when Mr Mugabe quit the presidency.

According to a statement released late on Thursday, Mr Moyo was appointed as foreign minister while Perence Shiri, the long-serving air force commander, became minister of lands and agriculture, a vital job following the controversial seizure of land from white farmers nearly two decades ago.

Observers sharply criticised the lineup and many Zimbabweans groaned with dismay, but the government defended the choices as balanced.

“The deployment of senior members of the military into the cabinet is profoundly shocking,” said Piers Pigou of the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank.

Their appointment suggests “the army has gained so much influence in government, it is going to start to dominate,” said Abel Esterhuyse, a strategy professor at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University.

Mr Mnangagwa, 75, was sworn last month after the takeover, which the military said was aimed at arresting “criminals” in government around 93-year-old Mr Mugabe.

The new cabinet also retains many faces from the Mugabe regime, including Patrick Chinamasa, the finance minister, and Obert Mpofu, the home affairs minister.