Is it just me, or does Mugabe not care what agreements he signs, what he signs up to or what he promises to do? This habit of his started a very long time ago when Mugabe promised the population free education and housing by 2000.

2000 proved to be a year that changed the face of Zimbabwe forever.

In that year began the land invasions, perpetrated by the war veterans, on direct orders from Mugabe’s office. Invasions turned ugly with workers and farmers been beaten – and then progressed to murder.

Land invasions continue today and the number of white commercial farmers on their land continues to become less every day.

The land has been handed to his fawning supporters within government, not the ‘landless blacks’ as he had initially promised – and the land remains largely unworked and fallow.

But let us look at more recent event in Zimbabwe.

“The swearing in ceremony of cabinet ministers to the inclusive government was delayed by almost five hours on Friday in Harare, after Robert Mugabe attempted to increase the number of ministers from his ZANU PF party.

But when the ceremony eventually took place an extra minister for ZANU PF was sworn in. Mugabe had initially tried to have 22 sworn in. 13 from MDC-T were also sworn in along with three from MDC-M.”

Even a week ago Mugabe was doing what he wanted – as opposed to doing what the agreements he had signed would oblige him to do.

But he has done it again since – and appears to have gotten away with it… again!

Today we read that the cabinet in Zimbabwe is hugely inflated.

At a ceremony at State House“ President Mugabe swore in 20 deputy ministers and four ministers of state, on top of the 33 full ministers and four ministers of state sworn in last week.The total means that the Government has 15 more members than provided for in the Constitution, itself amended two weeks ago to take in the agreement for a coalition Government.

The final tally came a day after a meeting between Mr Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai, the Prime Minister and leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, and Arthur Mutambara, head of the breakaway MDC faction, to finalise the numbers. “It’s profligate,” said an MDC minister. “But it’s the product of a compromise. It’s like a postwar reconstruction Cabinet.”

Western diplomats gave the outsize Government a cautious welcome. “It’s not the wisest of starts,” said one. “There are basically two parties and some accommodation had to be made. “But it’s not what the Government looks like, it’s what it does. We shall wait and see.”

So that is how the West see it? I assume then, that they don’t speak for me – as I will not accept Mugabe’s illegally stumping up the numbers and taking the majority in cabinet by so doing – the voters spoke in March last year – does Mugabe really not care as to the needs and wants of the people?

If present day Zimbabwe is anything to go by, evidently not…

Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man