Harare — PRESIDENT Mugabe may soon have to appoint acting ministers to carry out duties that MDC-T Cabinet members are refusing to discharge, Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu has said.

Minister Shamu yesterday said the impending agricultural season increased the likelihood of President Mugabe appointing acting ministers so that farmers would not be hampered in their preparations by MDC-T's "disengagement" from the Government.

In a separate interview, Agriculture, Mechani-sation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made said the "disengagement" was negatively affecting the activities of the inter-ministerial committee on agricultural inputs.

MDC-T ministers did not attend Cabinet yesterday for the second successive week and for the third time since the formation of the inclusive Government in February.

Minister Shamu said: "With the agricultural season upon us, the issue of portfolio leadership at ministerial level has to be addressed by His Excellency the President as the Head of State and Government one way or the other.

"His Excellency may have to consider appointing ministers in an acting capacity to key ministries for the sake of a successful agricultural season and general economic turnaround.

"Important Cabinet decisions have to be translated into action expeditiously," he said.

The agriculture-related ministries headed by MDC-T appointees are Finance, Economic Planning, Energy and Water Resources among others.

"The inter-ministerial committee on agricultural inputs comprising myself, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Industry and Commerce is being hampered.

"The nation relies on the Minister of Finance to financially guarantee Government's commitment and to seek lines of credit for input procurement and distribution through Grain Marketing Board depots.

"In his absence, our hands are tied to the detriment of expectant farmers. The rainy season is upon us and the season cannot wait for MDC-T to decide to reverse their decision.

"If a planting deadline is October 15, it will not change because someone has disengaged. It means the whole country has to wait for October 15, 2010," said Minister Made.

He said farmers had "taken enough" over the years and did not need to be frustrated by politicians.

"We missed the winter wheat season and now we cannot miss the summer cropping season because of a stayaway."

Meanwhile, details of Monday's meeting between the principals to the GPA have emerged.

MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai presented a document to President Mugabe in which he claimed Zanu-PF was not implementing its part of the deal.

He said his party's treasurer-general Roy Bennett -- who was recently indicted to face terror-related charges in the High Court -- had not been sworn-in as Deputy Agriculture Minister, the GPA had not had its six-monthly review, the Attorney-General and the Reserve Bank Governor had not been sacked and provincial governors had not been re-appointed.

However, it was pointed out that Bennett could only take office if he was cleared of his criminal charges; the review of the GPA was taking place through a Sadc team that arrives today; and the appointments of AG Johannes Tomana and RBZ Governor Dr Gideon Gono were not in the agreement.

The document makes no mention of the fact that MDC-T itself is still to call for the lifting of the sanctions it invited on the country.

Mr Tsvangirai also made no mention of pirate radio broadcasts of hate speech into Zimbabwe.

The document calls for the "reform" of State security arms and the adoption of an MDC-T-crafted National Security Council Bill.

Mr Tsvangirai demands the right to chair Cabinet in President Mugabe's absence.

However, the GPA is clear that President Mugabe chairs Cabinet while Mr Tsvangirai chairs the Council of Ministers.

Informed sources said President Mugabe told Mr Tsvangirai he would not concede on these demands, noting that MDC-T was yet to make any concessions itself.

Yesterday MDC-T spokesperson Mr Nelson Chamisa told New Ziana that his boss' demands had been rejected.

"Attempts to resolve differences have failed. There is still disagreement and deadlock," he said.

A source close to developments, however, said: "It was disconcerting that the issue of the State security services ranked high in comparison to the yawning absence of the issue of sanctions.

"The President stuck by the Zanu-PF Politburo resolution that he should not make anymore concessions until MDC-T started acting on its obligations under the GPA.

"In the end Mr Tsvangirai relented and asked for concessions on two points; firstly on Bennett's appointment and secondly on provincial governors.

"He said he was prepared to attend Cabinet if Zanu-PF conceded on these two. The President said Bennett would first have to be cleared and that negotiators had erred in apportioning governors seats as they were not mandated to do so.

"The President said he found it odd that Mr Tsvangirai was preoccupied with personnel issues when the focus should be on things like sanctions and food security, which affect the nation.

"The President said the inclusive Government was not formed to gladden a few individuals in MDC-T who wanted jobs and attention should be paid to the needs of the people," a source said.