Zimbabwe's New Prime Minister Vows to Feed the Hungry, Heal the Sick

Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change will share power with Mugabe's ZANU-PF and Professor Arthur Mutambara's breakaway MDC faction. While Mugabe will chair cabinet meetings, Tsvangirai has everyday control of the government.

In his inaugural address, the new prime minister pledged to heal the broken economy and supply food for the hungry millions and to stem the cholera epidemic brought on by collapse of the country's public health and water systems.

Zimbabwe's new Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, left, with President Robert Mugabe. (Photo courtesy Nehanda Radio)

"For too long, our people's hopes for a bright and prosperous future have been betrayed," he said. "Instead of hope, their days have been filled with starvation, disease and fear. A culture of entitlement and impunity has brought our nation to the brink of a dark abyss. This must end today," Tsvangirai declared.

"In the immediate days ahead we will focus on the cholera crisis. We will urgently reduce both the number of outbreaks and the unacceptably high mortality level by tackling the causes of the epidemic," said Tsvangirai.

Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak, one of the world's largest ever recorded, is far from being brought under control, says the World Health Organization. An enhanced response is needed to urgently reverse an epidemic that has so far infected more than 60,400 people and killed more than 3,160 since August 2008, the world health body said in January.

Prime Minister Tsvangirai said, "We will also ensure that every Zimbabwean has access to emergency food aid regardless of tribal or political affiliation. In this regard, we will ensure that the people can access humanitarian food aid on a non-partisan basis. I call upon the chiefs and local councilors to work together to ensure that all those that are deserving can access the help they require."

Thanking all of the international relief agencies and donors who have assisted Zimbabwe, the prime minister said he would "ensure greater impact and efficiency in the distribution of emergency and development aid by appointing a senior member of my cabinet to coordinate emergency and development efforts."

"In addition to emergency food distribution, the transitional government will make food more available and more affordable by removing all duties on foodstuffs imported into the country," Tsvangirai said.

Morgan Tsvangirai and his wife Susan pray at church Wednesday in Harare's Mabelreign suburb. (Photo courtesy Nehanda Radio)

"In the short term, we will convene a food summit of all relevant stake holders to help us ensure that no Zimbabwean goes hungry. We will introduce incentives to resuscitate and rehabilitate the local food manufacturing industry and we will move towards self-sufficiency in food production beginning with the next agricultural season," he pledged.

Hyperinflation and the dollarization of the economy has meant millions of people have been unable to access basic foods, increasing the number of people needing food aid in both urban and rural areas.

The international aid agency Oxfam called on the new government to urgently address the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation inside the country.

"We hope the government of national unity can prioritize the humanitarian crisis and mobilize all the resources it can to make swift recovery possible while working to bring broader stability to the country", said Oxfam's country director in Zimbabwe, Peter Mutoredzanwa.

"We're calling on the new government to remove all constraints and enable our staff and staff of other civil society organizations to be able to carry out their work on the ground freely and effectively," Mutoredzanwa said.

With more than half the population os Zimbabwe in need of food aid, Oxfam is working with the UN World Food Programme in distributing monthly food aid to vulnerable families, helping to feed nearly 250,000 people.

In order to stem the spread of cholera, Mutoredzanwa says Oxfam is distributing water purification tablets and soap, drilling boreholes to provide clean water supplies and distributing cholera prevention messages.

A manhole overflowing with sewage near Zimbabwe homes creates conditions for cholera to spread. (Photo courtesy Sokwanele)

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights today called on Zimbabwe's new Government of National Unity to immediately restore the rule of law and address abuses committed over the course of the recent political crisis.

"The long drawn-out process to reach a political settlement was marked by the perpetration of serious human rights violations and caused untold damage to the rule of law in Zimbabwe," said Commissioner Navi Pillay. "All eyes will be on this new government to see if it can undo that damage."

The 46-member cabinet of the new inclusive government will be sworn in Friday as the largest and most costly in the history of post-independence Zimbabwe.

Tsvangirai had pushed for a cabinet of 15, but acceded to the demands of Mugabe and his followers for a much bigger administration to accommodate the three main political parties.

There will be 31 cabinet ministers and 15 deputy ministers, nearly a sixth of the total number of legislators, and all of them with fantastic perks.

Mugabe's ZANU-PF will be allocated 15 cabinet seats and the Movement for Democratic Change will get 13. The remaining three positions will go to the breakaway MDC faction led by Mutambara.

Cabinet salaries alone will cost the Zimbabwean taxpayer about $US400,000 annually. The new government is inheriting a US$4.7 billion external debt owed to bilateral, multilateral and commercial creditors.

{IWPR journalist Chipo Sithole in Harare contributed to this report.}

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2009. All rights reserved.