Mugabe strengthens hardliners in cabinet

Robert Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe, will swear in a new hardline cabinet today, retaining ministers who have spearheaded his policy of evicting white farmers and firing the only moderate, Simba Makoni.

Mr Makoni, who was the finance minister, had advocated firm action to end the political violence and repeatedly urged Mr Mugabe to show restraint in the seizure of white farms. He was replaced by a Mugabe loyalist and former trade minister, Herbert Murerwa.

Masipula Sithole, a political scientist at the University of Zimbabwe, said: "Mugabe has merely consolidated his power base by retaining his fawning loyalists and kicking out the only rational member of cabinet." Hardliners keeping their jobs are Jonathan Moyo, the Information Minister, Joseph Made in Agriculture, Patrick Chinamasa in Justice, Stan Mudenge in Foreign Affairs, Joyce Mujuru in Water Resources and Ignatious Chombo in Local Government.

Timothy Stamps, the health minister and only white in the Cabinet, was dropped for health reasons. He had a stroke and has been unable to return to his office this year.

Mr Mugabe's decision to retain his ailing vice-presidents, Simon Muzenda, 80, and Joseph Msika, 79, shows he has no plans to relinquish power. He had been expected to appoint new vice-presidents to begin the process of anointing and grooming a successor.

He is thought to have reshuffled his cabinet to thwart a legal challenge to the authority of his ministers, because he had broken the law by not appointing a new cabinet after the March election.