All the Wikileaks cables on Zimbabwe

 

401-Catholic bishops release hard-hitting pastoral letter

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Zimbabwe has released a pastoral letter which blames the suffering of the Zimbabwean people on a small black elitewhich replaced a small while elite and has perpetuated colonial-like misrule.

 

402-Mugabe says Catholic Bishops’ letter is political nonsense

President Robert Mugabe described the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference pastoral letter which said the current leaders were no different from their colonial predecessors as “political nonsense” and accused the bishops of embarking on a “dangerous path.”

 

403-Manhanga says Pius Ncube was set up but adultery allegations are true

Evangelical Bishop Trevor Manhanga told United States embassy officials that although Archbishop Pius Ncube was set up, the charges of adultery that were being levelled against him were undoubtedly true and would do considerable harm to the opposition.

 

404-Msipa told Dell that Gen Mujuru was no march for Mugabe

Former Midlands Provincial Governor Cephas Msipa told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell that though he felt that it was time for President Robert Mugabe to go, Mugabe would still prevail in any power struggle with former army commander General Solomon Mujuru.

 

405-Mutasa was behind the disastrous 2007 price controls

Although President Robert Mugabe repeatedly said the price blitz in 2007 was a reaction to a “political agenda” pursued by “greedy companies” doing the bidding of Western governments seeking to bring about regime change through “illegal sanctions”, the Joint Operations Command was actually behind it.

 

406-Mutasa in final push land seizures

State Security and Lands Minister was in 2007 in the final push to evict the remaining 350 white farmers. There had been about 4 500 white farmers when the concerted land reform programme began in 2000.

 

407-US spending $100 000 a year on anti-corruption in Zimbabwe?

The United States government through its US Agency for International Development was spending US$100 000 a year on a Transparency International Zimbabwe programme that worked with the Parliament of Zimbabwe’s Public Accounts Committee in advocating anti-corruption in the public sector and in closing loopholes in legislation that makes corrupt cases easier.

 

408-Wikileaks says Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition is funded by US

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a group of more than 300 organisations, was partly being funded by the United States Agency for International Development.

 

409-More aid promised if US passes Democracy Development Act

The United States was likely to provide more financial aid to pro-democracy advocates who were being victimised by the State for their political activities once the Democracy Development Act had been passed.

 

410-Journalist among activists sponsored by US to shed light on Mugabe’s mess

A Bulawayo journalist, Gibbs Dube, was one of the five “activists” sponsored by the United States embassy in Harare and Freedom House to travel the region to shed light on President Robert Mugabe’s mess after the 2008 elections.

 

411-Makumbe says GPA is a bad deal, a very bad deal

“This is a bad deal: a very bad deal. I wonder where these guys were when they signed this deal. Perhaps they were in a stinking toilet. But even a stinking toilet stops smelling if you stay in it for a long time.”-Political analyst John Makumbe on the power-sharing agreement.

 

412-Makumbe advises World Bank on civil service audit

University of Zimbabwe Professor John Makumbe is advising the World Bank on efforts to audit the civil service, according to a cable released by Wikileaks.

 

413-Goche says Mutasa and Bonyongwe are obstructionist

Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front negotiator Nicholas Goche told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee that he could arrange a one-on-one meeting between the ambassador and President Robert Mugabe because he wanted the two governments to mend their relations.

 

414-How to make money in an economic crisis

David Irvine Managing Director of Irvine’s Day Old Chicks Ltd was making a lot money during the political and economic crisis because he had some of the leading politicians in the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front in his pocket.

 

415-ZANU-PF planned to rig 2008 election a day after vote- Wikileaks

The Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front planned to rig the 2008 elections in favour of President Robert Mugabe so that he could pull off a 51 percent victory, according to a cable released by Wikileaks.

 

416-Makumbe says Mugabe is playing the “race card”

University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer John Makumbe said President Robert Mugabe was playing the “race card” in the upturn in attacks on the judiciary in late 2000 as the government tried to thwart white farmers from challenging the land reform programme through the courts.

 

417-Makumbe says even an idiot would be better than Mugabe

University of Zimbabwe political scientist John Makumbe came to the rescue of the Movement for Democratic Change when the party came under fire for not capitalising on its June 2000 election performance which saw the party winning 57 out of the 120 contested seats in parliament.

 

418-Makumbe urges MDC to open offshore accounts

John Makumbe, who had become one of the regular advisors to the Movement for Democratic change leadership, urged the party way back in 2001 to open offshore accounts to facilitate foreign donations.

 

419-Mnangagwa says MDC is responsible for violence

Emmerson Mnangagwa told a visiting United States delegation when he was Speaker of Parliament and Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front secretary for administration that the Movement for Democratic Change started the violence to which ZANU-PF youths responded “in kind”.

 

420-Makumbe says MDC has to keep the fire burning

Political scientist John Makumbe advised the Movement for Democratic Change not to waste too much time and resources in campaigning in the 2002 local government elections but it still had to contest to “keep the fire burning”.

 

421-Police punch and arrest Makumbe and US embassy official

Police punched John Makumbe in the face while he was handcuffed and arrested six people including Bishop Trevor Manhanga, Makumbe and an unnamed United States embassy official.

 

422-Demonstrators arrested ahead of planned march

Several demonstrators including leaders of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions were arrested ahead of a planned march to demonstrate against high taxation and the deteriorating economic situation.

 

423-Fees rise from one cow to six per semester

Tuition fees at state universities were increased by 500 percent with those at the University of Zimbabwe increasing from Z$6 million to Z$30 million a year while meals went up from Z$1.5 million a semester to Z$21 million.

 

424-Makumbe says Mugabe fears successor will consolidate power at his expense

Political analyst John Makumbe said President Robert Mugabe was afraid of leaving office because he was afraid that his successor would consolidate power at his expense.

 

425-Mugabe, Tsvangirai reward loyalty for cabinet picks

Both President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai rewarded loyalty over competence for their cabinet picks according to political analyst John Makumbe.

 

426-Was Tsvangirai taken for a ride by Mugabe?

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee that Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front leader Robert Mugabe had agreed to concede defeat after the 2008 elections but wanted an additional six months in office which the MDC rejected.

 

427-Muchinguri, Kangai and Mutasa behind violent campaign of 2008

A disillusioned member of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front central committee Manatsa Mutasa told United States embassy officials less than a week after the 2008 polls that Tsvangirai had won 48 percent of the vote so the ZANU-PF had begun a campaign of violence, spearheaded by Minister Oppah Muchinguri, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Kumbirai Kangai, Air Marshall Perence Shiri, and Minister Didymus Mutasa, to intimidate the population and MDC leaders.

 

428-US pushes for military intervention in Zimbabwe

The United States pushed its allies to support a resolution that would have allowed military intervention in Zimbabwe by the United Nations not later than 3 July 2008.

 

429-Two-year-old terrorist?

Zimbabwe Peace Project director Jestina Mukoko and seven others and two-year-old Nigel Mutemagau were held and denied bail at the end of 2008 after being accused of banditry and terrorism in connection with an alleged plot to train armed insurgents in Botswana.

 

430-Mutasa says SADC Tribunal is daydreaming

Minister of State Security Didymus Mutasa said the Southern African Development Community Tribunal was “daydreaming” after it ruled that Zimbabwe’s land reform programme was racially discriminatoryand violated Zimbabwe’s SADC treaty obligations with regard to upholding the rule of law and respect for human rights.

 

431-Made says white farmers are no longer welcome in Zimbabwe

Agriculture Minister Joseph Made is reported to have given “short-shift” to a white farmer who had managed to “get his foot in the door” with him and told him that white farmers should finally get the message that they were no longer welcome in Zimbabwe.

 

432-US ambassador says it is in US interest to support MDC

Despite claims that the United States does not support any political party in Zimbabwe, a cable dispatched by former ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee on 16 March 2009, just a month after the formation of the inclusive government, specifically says “it is in our interest to support the Party (Movement for Democratic Change) and reformist ministries in the government that it shares”.

 

433-US ambassador says labour politics in Zimbabwe is dirty- Wikileaks

Labour politics in Zimbabwe is dirty and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions’ current leadership is undemocratic, selfish and controlling.

 

434-Tsvangirai says Gono transferred $100 million into his personal account

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told United States ambassador James McGee and British ambassador Andrew Pocock on 10 April 2009 that the Movement for Democratic Change had damning information that the governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Gideon Gono had transferred US$100 million from the central bank into a personal account.

 

435-Mugabe tells US delegation differences in GPA are “little issues”

President Robert Mugabe told a United States congressional delegation that visited Zimbabwe and met him at State House in September 2009 that he thought that the Global Political Agreement was proceeding well. The differences between the parties were “little issues”.

 

436-MDC had no plan B

The Movement for Democratic Change disengaged from the government in 2009 out of frustration with the Zimbabwe African National-Patriotic Front’s intransigence but it had no Plan B, according to the United States embassy officials.

 

437-US embassy says Mugabe is the glue that holds ZANU-PF together

The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front was in a slow, irreversible decline. It had no ideas and no programme other than to proclaim its liberation credentials. But President Robert Mugabe was the glue that held the party together.

 

438-Manicaland angered at Mutasa’s failure to become ZANU-PF chairman

The failure to elevate Zimbabwe African National Union secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa is reported to have angered the people of Manicaland because they felt that had been disadvantaged by President Robert Mugabe’s adherence to the Unity accord of 1987.

 

439-US was worried about Jonathan Moyo from the word go

The United States was worried about the entry of Jonathan Moyo into politics especially his appointment as Minister of State for Information and Publicity because it was afraid that no one might be able to silence him.

 

440-Cabinet split four weeks after getting into office

Zimbabwe’s cabinet of 2000 was split barely four weeks after being appointed to office with Information Minister Jonathan Moyo leading one faction and Finance Minister Simba Makoni another.

 

441-Moyo versus Moyo

Nkosana Moyo was the darling of the United States embassy in Harare which even called him a close embassy contact when he was appointed Minister of Industry and Trade in 2000.

 

442-Confusion over farm evictions

Police evicted hundreds of war veterans from four farms near Harare prompting the veterans to march on the streets of the capital demonstrating against the government’s action.

 

443-Farmer attacked with machete by war veteran

A farmer from Karoi Marshall Roper was attacked with a machete by a war veteran and other squatters who ordered him not to plant tobacco on the farm they had occupied.

 

444-Government shuts down private radio station

Police on 4 October 2000 shut down a private radio station Capital Radio which was operating from a makeshift studio at the five-star Crown Plaza Hotel.

 

445-Capital confusion

The Capital Radio case has quickly generated a flurry of conflicting court rulings, orders, summons, complaints, injunctions, warrants and contempt charges.

 

446-Jonathan Moyo becomes Mugabe’s hatchet man

Information Minister Jonathan Moyo’s rapid rise in the Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front politics was a clear indication that he had become President Robert Mugabe’s principal instrument for clamping down in dissent and bring back discipline in the party.

 

447-Supreme Court orders government to stop land acquisitions

The Supreme Court on 10 November ordered the government to halt all farm occupations and resettlement efforts until it complied with all legal requirements under the Land Acquisition Act.

 

448-Jonathan Moyo puts pressure on chief judge to resign

Information Minister Jonathan Moyo piled pressure on Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay to resign or recuse himself from cases involving the Commercial Famers Union because he had stated way back in 1991 his stance on the land issue.

 

449-Jonathan Moyo linked to Inyika Trust

Information Minister Jonathan was linked to a new trust Inyika Trust one of whose members was Harare lawyer Terrence Hussein who said the trust’s main purpose was to provide legal assistance and representation to communal farmers and landless Zimbabweans.

 

450-Zvobgo says Mugabe is now a majority of one in ZANU-PF

Former Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front Masvingo kingpin Eddison Zvobgo said President Robert Mugabe was more firmly in control of ZANU-PF after the December 2000 annual conference during which younger members of the party were elected to the politburo than he had ever been before.

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