Daily News reports that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has blocked Finance minister Mthuli Ncube from appointing economist and former opposition politician Eddie Cross.
Sources told Daily News yesterday that Mnangagwa had stopped Cross’ appointment to avoid another embarrassment for his government and the ruling Zanu-PF. Cross was, until his recent retirement from public life, a respected senior MDC official, and also MP for Bulawayo South for the party until the July 30 national elections. One of the sources said:
There is no doubt that the appointment would have caused ructions in the party considering that Cross is still seen as an opposition member whose comrades continue to refuse to accept ED’s presidency. It would also have been unprecedented in the history of the party, outside of the government of national unity, to see an influential member of the opposition being given such a role — when there are many people in Zanu PF who can do that unnecessary job.
Efforts by the Daily News yesterday to get a comment from Ncube were fruitless. According to sources, Cross was supposed to have started work at the Finance ministry on November 1. Information deputy minister Energy Mutodi said he was not aware of Cross’ appointment.
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