Roy Bennett, Zimbabwe's deputy agriculture minister and one of the opposition politicians in the country's new unity government, has been charged with planning terrorism and insurgency.

The development throws into stark relief the lack of mutual trust inside the new goverment, which was supposed to lead Zimbabwe out of a political and economic crisis after long negotiations between President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and its bitter opponents, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

Mr Bennett, a former white farmer who is also the MDC's Treasurer General, is expected to appear in court tomorrow to face the charges, according to his lawyer, Trust Maanda.

He was arrested before new ministers were sworn in on Friday. Initially the MDC said that he had been charged with treason, which carries the death penalty.

“They have now preferred charges of insurgency or attempting to commit acts of insurgency, terrorism and banditry,” Mr Maanda said.

Police were claiming that his client had been involved in funding for arms and explosives to be used to sabotage essential services, he went on. Mr Bennett has denied the charges and believes they are politically motivated.

While the MDC has condemned Mr Bennett’s arrest, it has not indicated if it would take any strong action that could endanger the unity government formed after months of deadlock over implementation of a September power-sharing deal.

Mr Bennett is being held at a police station in the eastern city of Mutare, the MDC said. He is in good spirits.

He had been living in exile in South Africa after fleeing Zimbabwe two years ago because police wanted to question him in connection with the discovery of an arms cache.

Police officials have not been available for comment on Bennett’s case.

Foreign investors and Western donors want concrete signs of stability in Zimbabwe. They have made it clear that funds will not flow to the nation until a democratic government is created and economic reforms are made.

They have expressed concern that both Mr Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, have named party stalwarts to the cabinet rather than technocrats seen as having the expertise Zimbabwe needs to escape its crisis.

Zimbabweans face unemployment above 90 per cent and prices that double every day. Half the 12 million population need food aid, and a cholera epidemic has killed more than 3,500 people.

Some Zanu-PF members in the new cabinet have held ministerial posts since independence from Britain in 1980, when Mr Mugabe came to power.

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