Tendai Biti tipped for Finance post,Bennet in
Recently freed senior MDC official Tendai Biti will be appointed to the powerful post of Minister of Finance and Economic Development by the Prime Minister designate Morgan Tsvangirai, a source has revealed.
Biti is the Secretary-General of the MDC and was the MDC chief negotiator in the SADC brokered unity talks. He served as the MDC’s Secretary for Economic Affairs, and is reportedly the brains behind RESTART, the MDC economic blueprint.
Also in the cabinet will be Roy Bennet who returned to Zimbabwe for the first time in more than two years after claiming asylum in South Africa. Bennet is the MDC Treasurer General and will be one of the non constituency Members of Parliament that the MDC will appoint according the power sharing deal.
The source also revealed that a draft cabinet list has been drawn up by the MDC President and his closest advisers but is yet to be presented to the party ‘s National Executive Council for approval before being passed on to President Robert Mugabe next week.
The Finance post is envisaged to be the most powerful post in the unity government as the country tries to piece back together the shattered economy, crushed by the world’s highest inflation.
More than half the population needs food aid to survive, while only six percent of the workforce has jobs, according to the United Nations.
But major donors like Britain and the United States have said they will wait to see if the new government can function before giving the new administration major new aid.
In a related development Metro has learnt that MDC MP Evelyn Masaiti-Matongo who had been tipped for a cabinet post has been dropped, Masaiti who is personally close to the MDC President is the MDC Women’s Assembly Secretary-General and wife of the late MDC National Chairman Isaac Matongo.
Update
Posted by Simba Dzvairo
on February 7, 2009. Filed under Local News,Politics.
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