Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has rejected a circular emanating from President Robert Mugabe's office directing ministers to report to his two vice-presidents - Joice Mujuru and John Nkomo - instead of to him as cracks in the shaky inclusive government continue to widen.
Tendai Biti, who is Finance minister, MDC-T party secretary-general and a lawyer, yesterday dismissed the circular as illegal and a wilful breach of the September 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA) that gave birth to the unity government last February.
The circular written on January 25 by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda, in the possession of the Zimbabwe Independent, implied that cabinet ministers should stop reporting to Tsvangirai and be answerable to Mujuru and Nkomo instead.
It was copied to all cabinet ministers and permanent secretaries.
The Independent is reliably informed that Tsvangirai's office, through permanent secretary Ian Makone, has since written a counter circular to ministers and heads of ministries telling them to ignore Sibanda's communication and continue reporting to the premier.
Biti yesterday said Sibanda's circular was "unconstitutional and unlawful, thus null and void".
"No one has powers to rewrite the GPA," Biti told the Independent yesterday before leaving for Zambia on government business. "The GPA defines the powers and the functions of the president and the prime minister very clearly. It would be unconstitutional, unlawful to have such a circular because it would be null and void."
Under the GPA, executive authority of the inclusive government is shared between Mugabe, Tsvangirai and cabinet. This is captured in Constitutional Amendment No 19.
While Mugabe is head of state and government, Tsvangirai is given a wide range of powers including the responsibility of overseeing formulation and implementation of government policies by cabinet; ensuring that ministers develop appropriate implementation plans; and in this regard the ministers must report to the premier on all issues relating to putting into effect such policies and plans.
Sources said the MDC saw Sibanda's circular as an attempt to usurp Tsvangirai's powers.
