President Robert Mugabe has outfoxed his fellow principals to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) again by unilaterally extending the terms of office of the country’s service chiefs by another two years, something that is certain to plunge the shaky unity administration into fresh turmoil.

from our TopPartner: Radio VOP

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba told state controlled media that Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri, together with four other service chiefs, Defence Forces commander General Constantine Chiwenga, Lieutenant General Philip Valerio Sibanda (Zimbabwe National Army), Air Marshal Perrance Shiri (Air Force of Zimbabwe) and Retired Major General Paradzai Zimondi (Commissioner of Prisons) will now enjoy fresh terms up to 2014.

Constitutional power
In reappointing Chihuri, Charamba insisted Mugabe was exercising his constitutional powers adding that this he did after consulting the Police Service Commission as is required by the law.

"It is that opinion, which guided the President in arriving at a decision,” Charamba said.

"It is on that basis that the President extended the (Police) Commissioner-General's term of office to 2014."

Shock for Tsvangirai
The clandestine appointments will shock Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who on Wednesday told the media they had agreed as GPA principals meeting to withhold Chihuri’s reappointment until the Police Service Commission and other commissions have been reconstituted to give them the legal base to make the recommendations.

“A Commissioner of Police and the commander of the armed forces cannot be appointed without the recommendation of the commission and the commission for the police has not been regularised," Tsvangirai told journalists during a surprise joint press briefing with Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara at his Strathaven low density suburb house.

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