"Roy Bennett is not being prosecuted, he is being persecuted, " Mr Tsvangirai said.

BBC: MDC boycotting Zimbabwe cabinet

Roy Bennett, the deputy agriculture minister-designate in the unhappy government of national unity that was eventually formed, emerges as a true hero.

ECONOMIST: Zimbabwe

Then, while the swearing-in ceremony was under way, security forces detained one of Mr Tsvangirai's ministerial nominees, Roy Bennett, as he was about to fly off to spend the weekend with his family in South Africa, where he has been living in exile for the past three years.

ECONOMIST: Will Morgan Tsvangirai wield real power? Not yet, it seems