What are national affairs?

President Mugabe has managed to slightly trim his cabinet as well as fulfil regional balance but has created another dubious ministry, the Ministry of National Affairs, Employment Creation and Cooperatives without raising a wink from the opposition parties.

Although some people are complaining that the recent reshuffle clearly indicated that the President was probably being held to ransom by loyalty to some of his colleagues, others felt he was justified. He had the guts to kick out Herbert Ushewokunze and Joyce Mujuru so there was no reason he should be sympathetic to others.

Barely a week after scrapping the Ministry of Political Affairs, which seemed to have taken the steam out of most opposition parties and other critics, President Mugabe, created another ministry which left most people in no doubt as to whether this was really a new ministry, or just a change of name for the old ministry.

Critics are now wondering what the Ministry of National Affairs is all about. Which are the national affairs that are not dealt with by the Ministry of Home Affairs that will be handled by the new ministry. Or has the Ministry of Home Affairs been striped of some of its powers? How is the new ministry going to create employment, except perhaps for employees of the former Ministry of Political Affairs?

But there was good news for Matabeleland South. It now has its first minister from the province in the name of Tenjiwe Lesabe.

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