Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai walked to work for at least two weeks during the fuel crisis in 2005 to show his solidarity with the suffering people. He had been unable to secure fuel for a month and had resorted to asking for fuel from friends and party supporters.
702-Biti asks: Why should Tsvangirai be held to a higher standard?
Tendai Biti, who was the Movement for Democratic Change’s Shadow Minister for Economics, told United States embassy officials that though he had always been critical of party leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s acting outside the constitution, he came to recognise that everybody, especially secretary general Welshman Ncube, was ignoring the party constitution willy-nilly. He, therefore, asked why should Tsvangirai be held to a higher standard?
703-Tsvangirai says Bennett needs strategic vision
Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Roy Bennett, who had just been elected chairman of Manicaland, had admirable energy but needed to take a more strategic vision. He was discussing the pending MDC congress, soon after the split, with United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell.
Movement for Democratic Change legislator Tendai Biti told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell that he hammered out an amicable divorce with former secretary-general Welshman Ncube when they met in court and the judge failed to show up.
705-Coltart says MDC split causing fissures in ZANU-PF
Movement for Democratic Change legislator David Coltart said the breakup of the MDC was fuelling strains in the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front because with the threat from the MDC reduced there was less reason for ZANU-PF insiders to bury their differences.
706-US ambassador says Chimanikire in uninspiring and not well-regarded
United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell described former Movement for Democratic Change deputy secretary Gift Chimanikire as uninspiring and not well-regarded. Dell was comparing Chimanikire to Arthur Mutambara when the two announced their candidacy for the presidency of the splinter faction of the MDC which was de facto led by former secretary general Welshman Ncube.
707-Mutambara says Tsvangirai has become a “little Mugabe”
The leader of the smaller faction of the Movement for Democratic Change Arthur Mutambara said although founding MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai deserved a place of honour in the fight for democracy, he had become a “little Mugabe”.
708-Tsvangirai wins, says there is no room for dictators
Morgan Tsvangirai won the presidency of the anti-senate Movement for Democratic Change and vowed to complete the liberation struggle that Robert Mugabe had hijacked from the people to justify his rule for life. The MDC leader said there was no room for life presidents in a new Zimbabwe and he would step down as MDC president after Zimbabweans had liberated themselves from the current dictatorship.
709-Reenergised MDC ready to confront Mugabe
Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell that he was going to address nationwide rallies to maintain momentum, especially outside the capital, adding that President Robert Mugabe’s weakening security forces would be stretched by such tactics.
710-Clean up continues despite Chombo’s promise
Demolitions of structures, including an industrial complex in Harare, continued under Operation Restore Order despite an undertaking by Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo that the operation would be halted for at least 10 days to allow owners to regularise their plans.
Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo on 22 July fired Mutare mayor Misheck Kagurabadza for allegedly misusing public funds, but the mayor said he had been fired for showing United Nations special envoy Anna Tibaijuka the living conditions of people in Sakubva after Operation Murambatsvina which had displaced thousands of people.
712-Mugabe has a shouting match with UN envoy
President Robert Mugabe had a 20-minute shouting match with the United Nations under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief coordinator Jan Egeland over Operation Murambatsvina but in his public remarks Egeland was relatively upbeat about his meeting with Mugabe and claimed good relations between Zimbabwe and the UN.
713-Chombo boots out three of the four elected MDC mayors
All 19 Movement for Democratic Change councillors in Mutare resigned on 4 January 2006, paving way for Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo to appoint an acting council of Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front loyalists to run the city.
714-US embassy gropes for information on people targeted for sanctions
The United States embassy in Harare was groping everywhere for information on individuals that it wanted to be targeted for sanctions because it could not obtain that information officially from the registrar’s office.
715-Britain refuses to give US information on people targeted for sanctions
The British government refused to give the United States information on people that the US wanted to target for sanctions saying British law prohibited it from doing so. The US embassy in Harare was banking on cooperation from the United Kingdom embassy because it had the greatest potential to provide biographical information on the individuals because of the large number of Zimbabweans living in the UK, those attending school there and the frequent travel of Zimbabweans to the UK.
716-Mugabe cronies busting US sanctions through safari operations
A dozen lieutenants of President Robert Mugabe were busting United States sanctions through safari operations which generated $17.5 million in 2004 despite a 50 percent decline in tourism.
717-White farmers seek US$20 billion compensation to end land dispute
The Commercial Farmers Union was prepared to accept a US$20 billion compensation package to end the land dispute in Zimbabwe which had rocked the country for more than a decade but Agriculture Minister Joseph Made felt that US$1.5 billion was more than enough.
718-Biti says Mnangagwa and Mujuru were courting Tsvangirai
Movement for Democratic Change secretary general Tendai Biti told United States embassy officials that Emmerson Mnangagwa and Solomon Mujuru were each courting Morgan Tsvangirai with Mnangagwa even prepared to subordinate himself to Tsvangirai.
719-Commission says MDC has been infiltrated by CIO
An independent commission established by the anti-Senate faction of the Movement for Democratic Change to look into the assault of pro-Senate member Trudy Stevenson said the attack had probably been carried out by members of the Central Intelligence Organisation as both factions had been infiltrated by the CIO.
720-MDC suspends troublesome MP
The Morgan Tsvangirai faction of the Movement for Democratic Change on 15 October 2006 suspended the member of Parliament for Mabvuku, Timothy Mubawu in connection with the attack on the pro-senate faction member Trudy Stevenson as well as his sexist remarks in Parliament.
721-Reunification of the MDC on the cards but……
Leaders of the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, were agreed that reunification of the party was the only way forward but they were facing stiff resistance from hardliners within their factions.
722-Makoni defends land reform
Former Finance Minister Simba Makoni defended Zimbabwe’s land reform programme and said donors should “forget about how or why we got where we are”.
723-Goche lists organisations seeking regime change
Three government ministers turned up the heat on organisations which they accused of trying to unseat the government. State Security Minister Nicholas Goche said a human rights organisation Amani Trust and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the Zimbabwe Democracy Trust and the Southern Africa Media Development Fund, were engaged in activities intended to unseat the government.
724-Goche orders CARE to suspend operations
State Security Minister Nicholas Goche ordered a non-governmental organisation CARE to suspend its operations accusing its staff of meddling in political activities in the run-up to the presidential elections run-off in 2008.
725-Goche suspends operations of all NGOs
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Nicholas Goche on 4 June suspended all field operations of non-governmental organisations until further notice claiming that a number were in breach of the terms and conditions of their registration.
726-Goche and Chinamasa in MDC talks
The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front represented by Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa and Public Service Minister Nicholas Goche began talks with the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change but MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai insisted that negotiations between the two parties would not resume until certain conditions had been met.
727-Government lifts ban on operations of NGOs
The government on 29 August lifted a two-month ban on the operations of non–governmental organisations which it had accused of dabbling in politics.
728-Goche in new inclusive government
Nicholas Goche was among the 39 names to be included in the new inclusive government and a cable by the United States embassy said Mugabe was set to reappoint many of the members of his old cabinet which he had said a year earlier was “the worst one he has ever had”.
729-Police crackdown on opposition rallies
Police violently broke up rallies of the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change in Harare and Bulawayo in defiance of a High Court order.
730-Police brutally disrupt prayer meeting
Police on 11 March 2007 brutally suppressed a prayer rally organised by the Save Zimbabwe Campaign and arrested more than 100, including Movement for Democratic Change president Morgan Tsvangirai.
731-Mutambara says opposition is united to drive out Mugabe
The leader of the smaller faction of the Movement for Democratic Change Arthur Mutambara said the opposition was united to drive out President Robert Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.
Talks between the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front and the Movement for Democratic Change began in Pretoria on 17 June 2007 with the two sides agreeing on a five point agenda for future negotiations.
733-Government introduces indigenisation bill
The government on 22 June 2007 gazetted the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment bill which seeks to secure at least 51 percent of the shares in every public company for indigenous Zimbabweans.
734-ZANU-PF fails to turn up for talks
The Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front negotiating team of Nicholas Goche and Patrick Chinamasa failed to turn up for the South African brokered talks with the Movement for Democratic Change in Pretoria on 7 July 2007.
735-Biti says Mufamadi hit the roof after reviewing ZANU-PF paper on talks
The secretary general of the Morgan Tsvangirai faction of the Movement for Democratic Change Tendai Biti told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell that South African mediation team leader Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi “hit through the roof” after reviewing the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front’s position paper on negotiations with the MDC.
736-Jonathan Moyo shutters Daily News again
The Administrative Court once again allowed the Daily News, banned on 23 September, to resume publication but riot police prevented the paper from publishing. Information Minister Jonathan Moyo said the judge’s opinion was “blatantly political” and justified the police action saying the police implemented the law that the courts were only empowered to interpret.
737-Government was desperate ahead of 2005 elections
The government was so desperate at the beginning of 2004 that it asked the United Nations for assistance to organise the 2005 parliamentary elections. According to a cable released by Wikileaks key government officials including Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa and the Movement for Democratic Change even agreed to have the elections supervised by the UN.
738-US ambassador says ZANU-PF is suspicious of US motives
United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Joseph Sullivan said most of the members of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front were suspicious of the US government motives and kept their distance from the Americans out of concern for “political correctness” in their “insecure liberation party”.
Several journalists suspected to be Voice of America’s Studio 7 stringers were fired by the state media as well as by the private media which were reportedly under pressure from Information Minister Jonathan Moyo. The Herald fired sports editor Robson Sharuko, and journalists Tendai Ndemera and Rex Mphisa. The Chronicle fired Sithandekile Mhlanga and the Financial Gazette Godfrey Maravanyika.
740-Makoni says Mugabe is not interested in accommodating MDC but crushing it
Former Finance Minister Simba Makoni told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Joseph Sullivan that President Robert Mugabe was not interested in accommodating the Movement for Democratic Change but in crushing it.
Deputy Foreign Minister Nicholas Goche was called away on 4th of July 2000 to deal with a group of unruly war veterans in Bindura, an area he did not represent, prompting the United States embassy in Harare to conclude that this was the Zimbabwean equivalent of “diplomatic flu”.
742-Goche says MDC could have put up a frog and people would have voted for it
Deputy Foreign Minister Nicholas Goche said rural people had voted for land while those in urban areas had voted for jobs in the 2000 parliamentary elections which the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front almost lost winning only 62 seats against the Movement for Democratic Change’s 57.
President Robert Mugabe left for Lubumbashi on 12 July 2000 to meet Democratic Republic of Congo President Laurent Kabila to urge him to keep the peace talks on track.
744-Goche back to his roots as spymaster
Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs was reported by the United States embassy in Harare to be returning to his roots in intelligence when he was appointed Minister of State Security in July 2000.
745-Goche tells US ambassador MDC is a violent party
State Security Minister Nicholas Goche told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Tom McDonald that the Movement for Democratic Change was a violent party that imported weapons and had nefarious plans against the government.
746-US ambassador warns MDC not to speak of violent actions
United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Tom McDonald told Movement for Democratic Change chairman Isaac Matongo and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s political advisor Gandi Mudzingwa that the party should not speak about violent actions, even obliquely, because this could lead to a crackdown on the party by the government.
747-Ncube says pressure from West working but Mugabe prefers African solution
The secretary-general of the smaller faction of the Movement for Democratic Change Welshman Ncube told United States embassy officials that pressure on President Robert Mugabe from the United States and the European Union was working but Mugabe preferred that any solution for the Zimbabwe crisis should come from Africa so that he could say he had stood up to the West and Africans had helped him to solve Zimbabwe’s problems.
748-Biti told US officials MDC had no chance in the 2008 elections
The secretary-general of the Morgan Tsvangirai faction of the Movement for Democratic Change, Tendai Biti, who was regarded as Tsvangirai’s de facto number two, told United States embassy officials that his party had no chance of winning the 2008 elections because it did not have any money to campaign.
749-Bennett planned to retire if MDC did not win 2008 elections
Movement for Democratic Change treasurer Roy Bennett planned to retire from politics if the Morgan Tsvangirai faction did not win the 2008 elections. He told United States embassy officials in Pretoria that it was difficult to raise funds for the party and he was frustrated by the quality of people in the MDC.
750-Biti urges more sanctions, Ncube disagrees
The two Movement for Democratic Change negotiators, Tendai Biti for the Morgan Tsvangirai faction and Welshman Ncube for the Arthur Mutambara faction, disagreed on sanctions on the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front with Biti urging more pressure while Ncube encouraged an easing of the sanctions.
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