All the Wikileaks cables on Zimbabwe

951-ZANU-PF women’s league threatens to take over companies

The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front Women’s League said it had drawn up a list of companies that were profiteering and threatened to seize control of these companies.

952-US embassy official says he expects no change while Mugabe is still alive

A United States embassy official who was leaving the country said he did not expect any economic reform until President Robert Mugabe had retired, was dead or accepted a role as a figurehead president, “taking the Gonos and Murerwas with him”.

953-Gono lashes out at greedy economic saboteurs

Central bank governor Gideon Gono lashed out at greedy “economic saboteurs” and indisciplined elements on whom he vowed the government would clamp down as it became apparent he had run out of options to turn around the economy.

954-Gono said the government had agreed to compensate white farmers

Central bank governor Gideon Gono said his monetary policy statement of May 2005 was a clear indication that Zimbabwe was prepared to play by global economic rules, including honouring bilateral investment agreements and was prepared to negotiate compensation with commercial farmers who had lost land during the land reform programme.

955-Gono luring white farmers to stay

Commercial Farmers Union president Doug Taylor Freeme told United States embassy officials that central bank governor Gideon Gono was interested in luring white farmers back to the land and protecting those still there from further seizures but he seemed to be failing.

956-Gono powerless as cash dries up

Central bank governor Gideon Gono had become powerless except follow one misguided order after another as the country faced a cash crisis because President Robert Mugabe had refused to allow him to print Z$100 0000 and Z$50 000 bearer’s cheques because “it wouldn’t look good”.

957-Gono says he would never resign

Central bank governor Gideon Gono said he would never resign but at the same time he would never refuse to be fired. He said this to a visiting United States delegation after they asked him about rumours that he had offered to resign because government policy seemed to be at odds with his more orthodox market oriented policies.

958-Business leaders plead with US not to let IMF expel Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s business leaders pleaded with the United States not to let the International Monetary Fund expel Zimbabwe from the organisation saying this would be disastrous and would induce greater capital flight and accelerate the exodus of Zimbabwe’s best and brightest.

959-US dictates terms under which SA should bail out Zimbabwe

With threats of expulsion from the International Monetary Fund hanging over its head, Zimbabwe was desperate to secure a loan from the South African Government but the United States viewed this as an opportunity to squeeze concessions for reform from President Robert Mugabe’s government.

960-Gono all out to stop Zimbabwe’s expulsion from IMF

Central bank governor Gideon Gono went all out in July 2005 to stop Zimbabwe’s expulsion from the International Monetary Fund saying this would be disastrous for the country.

961-Caltex breaks even with just 12 service stations

Caltex was breaking even at the height of fuel shortages in Zimbabwe with just 12 service stations throughout the country and through direct imports on behalf of clients like companies and embassies, clearly demonstrating the effectiveness of market prices.

962-Gono stuns IMF and US government

Central bank governor Gideon Gono stunned the International Monetary Fund and the United States government when he paid US$120 million on 29 August 2005 towards the country’s IMF debt, leaving both wondering where he had got the money.

963-US says no carrots for Gono

The United States embassy said it had no carrots to offer to central bank governor Gideon Gono. The only grounds for meaningful re-engagement with Zimbabwe were a commitment to the implementation of a comprehensive political and economic reform package and restoration of due process and the rule of law.

964-Where Gono got the money to pay the IMF

Bulawayo business consultant Eric Bloch told United States embassy officials that central bank governor Gideon Gono sourced the US$120 million that he paid the International Monetary Fund in August from 37 separate sources in a complicated deal applying various exchange rates and terms for later access to foreign currency.

965-Banker says parastatals are a bottomless barrel

The head of consumer banking at Standard Chartered Ralph Watungwa said parastatals were a bottomless barrel so the announcement by central bank governor Gideon Gono that he would require them to hold their foreign currency with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe would not rein them in even if the RBZ could dip into those accounts to address other priorities such as paying the International Monetary Fund.

966-Gono says he will be fired if inflation hits quadruple digit

Central bank governor Gideon Gono who had managed to bring down inflation considerably in his first year as governor admitted in January 2006 that he was losing the battle against inflation and had been warned by high-level government officials that he would be fired if inflation hit four digits.

967-Jonathan Moyo holds balance of power

Tsholotsho legislator Jonathan Moyo held the balance of power in Parliament after Movement for Democratic Change chairman Lovemore Moyo was elected Speaker because the MDC-T now had 99 seats against the Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front’s 98.

968-Moyo calls for investigation of USAID operations in Zimbabwe

Independent Legislator Jonathan Moyo called for an international investigation into the operations of the United States Agency for International Development after the death of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s wife, Susan, in a car accident which involved a USAID truck.

969-Jonathan Moyo attacks Tsvangirai

Former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo attacked Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai for arranging a trip to the United States saying the trip was a personal disaster and a complete waste of time.

970-Researcher says Zuma is not different from Mbeki

A Zimbabwean researcher with the Institute of Security Studies Takawira Musavengana said although South African President Jacob Zuma and his entourage were trying desperately to distinguish themselves from the Thabo Mbeki administration, South Africa’s position on Zimbabwe had not fundamentally changed.

971-Jonathan Moyo rejoins ZANU-PF

Tsholotsho independent Legislator Jonathan Moyo who once called the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front a “dead duck on the shelf” had applied to rejoin the party.

972-Jonathan Moyo back in familiar territory

Former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, who ran the government’s propaganda machine from 2000 to 2005 when he was expelled from the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, was back in familiar territory as he blasted the Movement for Democratic Change and sought to be readmitted to ZANU-PF.

973-Gorden Moyo says without Mugabe there would be chaos

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s political advisor Gorden Moyo said without President Robert Mugabe there would be chaos as hardliners within the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front wanted to scuttle the Global Political Agreement.

974-SADC promised to raise US$2 billion for Zimbabwe

The Southern African Development Community promised to seek US$2 billion for Zimbabwe’s recovery barely a month after the swearing in of the inclusive government.

975-Biti and Gono tussle over vouchers

When the government introduced foreign currency vouchers to enable civil servants to buy goods from local shops rather than exchange them for cash at the formation of the inclusive government, Finance Minister quickly reversed the decision allowing people to cash them at banks because he wanted to stop central bank governor Gideon Gono from printing vouchers not backed by cash.

976-Zimbabwe up for sale+

By insisting that the three key political parties in Zimbabwe enter into an inclusive government, the Southern African Development Community had essentially “bought and owned the store and the conundrum for the sub-region that is Zimbabwe” so it had to do everything it could to fix the problem.

977-Why Mugabe can’t fire Gono

President Robert Mugabe cannot fire central bank governor Gideon Gono because he knows where the Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front skeletons are buried.

978-Mangoma says Biti “cooked” his first budget with Mugabe

Former Minister for Economic Planning Elton Mangoma said Finance Minister Tendai Biti “cooked” his first budget with President Robert Mugabe who then at the cabinet meeting asserted his authority with the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front ministers.

979-How many teachers are there in Zimbabwe?

No one seemed to know the number of teachers in Zimbabwe when the inclusive government was formed three years ago, and this could still be the situation today as the government insists there are 75 000 ghost workers.

980-Biti shows his muscle

Finance Minister Tendai Biti slashed the 2009 budget from US$1.9 billion to US$1 billion and directed that all revenue be remitted to treasury in a move that was aimed at stripping central bank governor Gideon Gono of his powers.

981-Dlamini-Zuma on how US could help Zimbabwe

Former South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma told United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the US could help Zimbabwe’s recovery programme by bypassing the government and assisting commercial farmers and the business sector directly.

982-US embassy showers Biti with praise on his first budget

The United States embassy was full of praise for Finance Minister Tendai Biti’s revised first budget saying it was a major policy improvement. Biti slashed the budget from US$1.9 billion to US$1 billion.

983-Mangoma told US ambassador MDC had no desire to push Mugabe out

Former Economic Planning Minister Elton Mangoma told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGhee two months after the formation of the inclusive government that President Robert Mugabe was playing a conciliatory and constructive role in cabinet. So, though the Movement for Democratic Change ultimately wanted to see him go, it had no desire at that time to push him out.

984-Mugabe said Biti was his best Finance Minister ever

Botswana Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani said President Robert Mugabe said though he had only worked with Finance Minister Tendai Biti for a few weeks, he was his best Finance Minister ever. Biti, at the time, had only been Finance Minister for two months.

985-US embassy considers getting Zimbank and Agribank off sanctions list

The United States embassy said though sanctions on Zimbabwe which affected two banks in which the government had a stake, Agribank and Zimbank, were highly effectual, it was considering recommending that the two banks be removed from the sanctions list because the sanctions were also hurting the banks’ largely rural bases.

986-Can’t say no to a Benz

Though members of the Movement for Democratic Change had criticised the government for years for spending money on luxury cars, they couldn’t say no when they were offered new US$50 000 E280 Mercedes Benz cars. Only Education Minister David Coltart turned down the offer.

987-Matinenga says MPs should not view their seats as jobs

Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga told Members of Parliament in April 2009, two months after the formation of the inclusive government, that they should not view their seats in Parliament as jobs. They were serving the nation.

988-US embassy disagrees with IMF sides with Biti

The United States embassy in Harare did not agree with the conclusion of an International Monetary Fund mission to Zimbabwe that the government’s income estimate for 2009 was overly optimistic saying in light of the gaping lack of information on private sector activity and its capacity to rebound, it believed Finance Minister Tendai Biti’s revised budget broadly reflected actual government incomes and expenditures.

989-IMF fails to establish where Zimbabwe got the money to pay it

An International Monetary Fund team that was in Zimbabwe on a 10-day at the end of January 2006 failed to establish where Zimbabwe had got the US$120 million it had paid to the IMF six months earlier.

990-Gono says everyone hates him except the man on the street

Central bank governor Gideon Gono told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell that everyone hated him except the man on the street.

991-Gono told Dell that Grace wanted Mugabe to step down

Central bank governor Gideon Gono told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell six years ago that the First Lady Grace had confided to him that President Robert Mugabe was “out of it” 75 percent of the time and she wanted him to step down.

992-Gono cooked the figures to hide true extent of inflation

Central bank governor cooked up figures to hide the true extent of inflation. An internal Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe study pegged inflation in mid-February 2006 at 2114 percent.

993-Zvobgo says everyone agrees that Mugabe has outlived his time

Eddison Zvobgo Jnr said everyone agreed that President Robert Mugabe had outlived his time but caution and fear borne of the party’s history made open action to hasten his departure by aspiring successors or a disgruntled membership unlikely.

994-Russia says Zimbabwe is no more autocratic than the norm in Africa

Two Russian foreign affairs counsellors told United States embassy officials that they did not see any reason why Russia should avoid contact with Zimbabwe because it was no more autocratic than “the norm in Africa”.

995-Bloch says Gono is naïve and impetuous

Bulawayo business consultant Eric Bloch who was reported to be close to central bank governor Gideon Gono said Gono was naïve and impetuous.

996-Banks facing the crunch

Stricter liquidity controls that were announced by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in January 2006 raising statutory reserves to 60 percent for demand deposits and 45 percent for savings deposits were reported to be sapping the sector of vital capital.

997-Dell says Gono is corrupt to boot

Former United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell said central bank governor Gideon Gono was corrupt to boot.

998-Gono ambushes the nation

Central bank governor Gideon Gono ambushed everyone when he slashed three zeros from the country’s currency on 31 July 2006 and said everyone should change the old bearer’s cheques within 21 days or they would become garden manure.

999-Zimbabweans good at planning but not implementing

Former Finance Minister Simba Makoni said six years ago Zimbabweans were very good at planning but very poor at implementing which made one wonder whether they were ready to do anything to extricate themselves from their predicament.

1000-Masamvu said Gono bought the support of the military

Former Zimbabwean journalist Sydney Masamvu who had become a key United States embassy contact said central bank governor Gideon Gono had become a major contender in the succession battle because he had bought the support of the key military and intelligence officials through his control of foreign exchange.

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