Bennett missing from new Zimbabwe cabinet

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Thursday swore in 19
deputy ministers to a new unity government with agriculture nominee Roy
Bennett missing while in detention facing a criminal charge.

Bennett, who is in custody on a charge of possessing arms for purposes
of terrorism, was not named as deputy minister nor was his designated post
announced.

Mugabe said the unity government was "very much on course" but
shrugged off questions about Bennett's arrest which has been widely reported
in foreign media.

"Across the world? I don't know why? That's a court issue," the
84-year-old head of state said.

A court in the eastern town of Mutare on Wednesday adjourned the case
against Bennett, who was proposed for deputy minister of agriculture by the
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), until March 4.

He is accused of illegal possession of arms for the purposes of
committing banditry, insurgency and terrorism, which carries a maximum
sentence of life imprisonment.

His arrest last Friday came shortly before the swearing in of other
members of the unity government -- casting doubt on the credibility of the
newly formed power-sharing accord.

His charges have been changed several times since his arrest -- with
his party claiming that the charges against the former farmer were "trumped
up."

Mugabe also swore in three ministers of state from three political
parties that form a unity government tasked with promoting national
reconciliation and healing.

"We want them to constitute an organ that will deal with the healing
process and reconciliation process," he said.

Mugabe swore in an additional two ministers of state from his ruling
ZANU-PF and 19 deputy ministers.

"We belong to the same country," Mugabe said commenting on the
inclusive government.

"We knew each other before and although we have talked to each other
before in different language, critical language, abusive language but we
were talking to each other. You know that kind of fight between us actually
made us know each other much more. But we decided that we must work
together."

While Bennett's name was on the list of those invited for the swearing
in at state house, his name was not on the final list released after the
ceremony.

But new Minister of Information and Communication Technology Nelson
Chamisa told AFP that the omission of Bennett, who was nominated by MDC
leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, was an error.

"Bennett is still our deputy minister of agriculture. If his name was
omitted it was by mistake," he said. - Sapa-AFP