Zim: Fixed line licence sets off row in government

This had prompted the taking away of the key telecommunications functions from Chamisa's ministry, and placing them within the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry headed by Mugabe's ally Nicholas Goche.

The ministry is now called Transport, Communications and Infrastructure Development.

The development has heightened tension within the inclusive government, with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai opposing the move, while Mugabe insists he acted within his power as President of the inclusive government.

Chamisa was in the process of granting TeleAccess, owned by former ZANU PF member now a key opposition figure, Daniel Shumba, a licence and had begun consultations with the attorney-general on the issue.

The Postal Telecommunication Regulatory Authority cancelled the licence after alleging TeleAccess had failed to meet deadlines to roll out its network, but observers believed Shumba was being punished for venturing into opposition politics after he had been suspended from the party in 2004.

Shumba launched an appeal with the administrative court in May 2006, after then Transport and Communications Minister Christopher Moshowe rejected his appeal.

TeleAccess was awarded the licence in January 2003 and was supposed to start operating in May the same year. However, he had failed to do so, citing an economic crisis. He had held the communications licence number PFT20030102 until he fell out with the ZANU PF government.