HARARE - President Robert Mugabe yesterday finally swore-in Morgan Komichi, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s pick for deputy minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development.

Mugabe had been reportedly refusing to swear in Komichi for several months. Only Mugabe, as the President has powers to swear-in government ministers, according to the Constitution.

Tsvangirai chose Komichi, who is MDC deputy chairperson, to fill the vacancy created following the death of Tichaona Mudzingwa in April this year. The non-constituency MDC senator passed on at the Avenues Clinic in Harare from cancer.

Tsvangirai wrote a letter to Mugabe in June recommending that the non-constituency senator be appointed deputy minister. But Mugabe only swore him in yesterday.

After being sworn-in, Komichi said he was ready to join the ministry as a team player.

“We need to work together with minister (Nicholas) Goche as a team to succeed,” Komichi said. “I am coming in as a team member and also to learn.”

Komichi’s family, Tsvangirai and the PM’s chief-of-staff Ian Makone witnessed the swearing-in at State House. - Bridget Mananavire