Cabinet ministers in Zimbabwe's unity government were to gather Saturday in the eastern town of Nyanga for a two-day retreat to review their progress - or lack of it - towards the fulfillment of the 100-day plan they drafted in an April retreat in Victoria Falls.The ministers will also consider a report from the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee on the strengths and weaknesses of the unity government formed in February, taking into account so-called outstanding issues troubling the power-sharing scheme.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti and Economic Planning Minister Elton Mangoma were scheduled to brief ministers on economic stabilization measures, and look ahead to the 2010 budget.
A panel on healing and reconciliation was to present a report on moves to heal the wounds inflicted on Zimbabwean society by political violence after the 2008 elections.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Acting President Joyce Mujuru were to attend.
Minister of State Gorden Moyo, attached to the prime minister’s office, told reporter Ntungamili Nkomo of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the ministers in retreat will evaluate whether government policies have been effective or not.
Formed in February by President Robert Mugabe's long-ruling ZANU-PF and both formations of the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change, the government launched a Short-Term Emergency Recovery Program in March to stabilize the economy.
Political analyst and former Harare East member of parliament Margaret Dongo told VOA reporter Blessing Zulu that she considered the retreat a waste of time and resources.
* VoA
