Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai was formally charged with treason on 20 March 2002, just a week after losing the presidential elections.
He was accused of planning to assassinate President Robert Mugabe but party secretary Welshman Ncube, who was also facing similar charges, said this was just an attempt to continue harassing the MDC leadership to stop them from resisting an illegitimate election process.
MDC Shadow Minister for Agriculture Renson Gasela was also charged with the same offence.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE748, MDC LEADER TSVANGIRAI FORMALLY CHARGED WITH TREASON
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
211338Z Mar 02
CONFIDENTIAL PTO8786
PAGE 01 HARARE 00748 211859Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 AID-00 CIAE-00 USNW-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 EUR-00
VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 AC-01
NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00
P-00 SP-00 SS-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 PMB-00
DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /005W
——————78AF0A 211859Z /45
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1293
INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY ABUJA PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000748
SIPDIS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/12
SUBJECT: MDC LEADER TSVANGIRAI FORMALLY CHARGED WITH TREASON
REF: A) HARARE 731 B) HARARE 572 C) HARARE 501 D) HARARE 411
CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MATT HARRINGTON. REASONS:
1.5 (B) AND (D).
¶1. (U) MDC LEADER MORGAN TSVANGIRAI WAS CHARGED WITH TREASON ON
MARCH 20 IN THE ALLEGED PLOT TO ASSASSINATE PRESIDENT MUGABE.
TSVANGIRAI PRESENTED HIMSELF AT THE HARARE CENTRAL POLICE STATION
SIPDIS
FOR FINGERPRINTING, THEN APPEARED AT THE HARARE MAGISTRATE’S
COURT, WHICH FORMALLY CHARGED HIM WITH THE CAPITAL CRIME. HE
WAS RELEASED ON A BAIL OF Z$1.5 MILLION (APPROXIMATELY U.S.
$5,000), AND WAS ORDERED TO SURRENDER THE TITLE DEED TO HIS
HOUSE, WORTH Z$3 MILLION (APPROXIMATELY U.S. $10,000).
TSVANGIRAI WAS ALSO ORDERED TO RELINQUISH HIS PASSPORT AND TO
SIPDIS
REPORT TO THE POLICE ONCE A WEEK. THE PARTY’S SHADOW AGRICULTURE
MINISTER AND MP FOR GWERU RURAL, RENSON GASELA, WAS ALSO CHARGED
WITH TREASON BY THE SAME COURT. HE WAS RELEASED ON Z$ 500,000
BAIL (APPROXIMATELY U.S. $1500) AFTER BEING ORDERED TO COMPLY
WITH THE SAME CONDITIONS AS TSVANGIRAI.
¶2. (U) MDC SECRETARY-GENERAL WELSHMAN NCUBE — WHO WAS HIMSELF
RECENTLY CHARGED WITH TREASON IN THE SAME CASE — PUBLICLY
DESCRIBED THE FILING OF CHARGES AGAINST TSVANGIRAI AS “AN ATTEMPT
TO CONTINUE HARASSING THE MDC LEADERSHIP IN ORDER TO STOP US FROM
RESISTING AN ILLEGITIMATE ELECTION PROCESS.” TSVANGIRAI SPECIAL
ADVISOR GANDI MUDZINGWA TOLD US THAT TSVANGIRAI, GASELA, AND
NCUBE WILL APPEAR IN COURT ON APRIL 30 FOR AN INTERIM HEARING ON
COMPLIANCE WITH BAIL CONDITIONS, BUT THAT NO TRIAL DATE HAS BEEN
SET.
¶3. (C) MEANWHILE, MUDZINGWA TOLD US THAT THE SOUTH AFRICAN
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 HARARE 00748 211859Z
FACILITATOR FOR THE INTER-PARTY DIALOGUE HAD ARRIVED ON MARCH 20
AND THAT THE NIGERIAN FACILITATOR WAS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE IN THE
NEXT DAY OR TWO. THE MDC PLANNED TO SHARE WITH THEM THE LIST OF
NEGOTIATING PRINCIPLES DESCRIBED BY THEIR MP DAVID COLTART IN A
MARCH 19 CONVERSATION WITH THE AMBASSADOR (REF A). SEVERAL
MEMBERS OF THE KEY LEADERSHIP THEN PLAN TO HOLD A ONE-DAY RETREAT
NEAR THE SOUTHWESTERN CITY OF BULAWAYO MARCH 22-23 TO DETERMINE
NEXT STEPS.
¶4. (C) COMMENT: THE FILING OF TREASON CHARGES AGAINST TSVANGIRAI
LESS THAN 24 HOURS AFTER ZIMBABWE’S SUSPENSION FROM THE COUNCILS
OF THE COMMONWEALTH DOES NOT AUGUR WELL FOR NEAR-TERM POLICY
CHANGES BY PRESIDENT MUGABE’S GOVERNMENT NOR FOR THE LIKELY
SUCCESS OF INTER-PARTY TALKS. WE KNOW THAT PRESIDENTS MBEKI AND
OBASANJO TRIED TO PERSUADE MUGABE TO DROP THE FLIMSY CHARGES
AGAINST TSVANGIRAI AND OTHER MDC LEADERS AS A CONFIDENCE-BUILDING
MEASURE, BUT THE ZIMBABWEAN LEADER RESISTED, APPARENTLY
EMPHASIZING THE NEED FOR THE CASE TO MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH THE
COURTS.
SULLIVAN
CONFIDENTIAL
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