351-Another MDC advisor says party has no plan to move ahead
Another Movement for Democratic Change advisor Kathi Walther on 30 April revealed that the Johannesburg-based MDC leadership did not have a concrete plan for moving ahead.
352-Tsvangirai asked Mwanawasa for help
Movement for Democratic change leader Morgan Tsvangirai asked Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa to convene an emergency meeting of the Southern African Development Community to discuss the security situation in Zimbabwe but Mwanawasa said he could not do so because there was a meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development the following week.
353-Masiyiwa says Chinamasa and Goche lack enough authority
Econet boss Strive Masiyiwa, who was also one of the advisors of Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai, said although talks between the MDC and the Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front were continuing, there was slow progress because ZANU-PF negotiators Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche did not have sufficient authority to resolve fundamentals issues.
354-MDC advisors preferred a TA not GNU
Movement for Democratic Change advisors who met a United States congressional delegation on 3 July 2008, a week after Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front leader Robert Mugabe had been sworn in as President, insisted that a transitional authority, and not a government of national unity, was the way forward.
355-Three MDC power centres hampered progress
Progress in the formation of an inclusive government following the singing of the Global Political Agreement was hampered by the fact that the Movement for Democratic Change now had three power centres.
356-Nyarota was upbeat about coming back of Daily News
Former Daily News editor Geoffrey Nyarota was upbeat about the coming back of the paper following the appointment of a new media commission and said the paper would kick off with a print order of 50 000.
357-Were Trevor Ncube’s parents Mozambican or Zambian?
A cable released by Wikileaks says Trevor Ncube, publisher of The Independent, was denied citizenship because his parents had been born in Mozambique.
358-Trevor Ncube wins German award
Zimbabwean journalist, Trevor Ncube, publisher of The Zimbabwe Independent and The Standard, won Germany’s Africa Award for his tireless engagement on behalf of freedom and human rights in Zimbabwe and Africa. The award was presented by the president of the European Parliament.
359-Trevor Ncube plans to launch daily
Trevor Ncube’s media company, Zimind Publishers Group, said it had applied for a licence to start a new daily, Newsday and had already discussed the idea with Media and Information Minister Webster Shamu.
360-Dell trashes Sipepa Nkomo’s enthusiasm on opening media space?
Daily News chief executive officer Sam Sipepa Nkomo was optimistic, one year after his paper’s closure, that the paper could resume publication because the government seemed to be opening up the media space in the country but the United States embassy felt Nkomo was overly optimistic.
361-Government seizes Trevor Ncube’s passport
The government seized the passport of publisher Trevor Ncube on 8 December in what was viewed as a crackdown on government critics who were going around demonising the country.
362-Was Trevor Ncube used by Jonathan Moyo to tarnish Financial Gazette?
Former news editor of the Financial Gazette Nelson Banya said former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo might have used The Independent to tarnish the image of the Financial Gazette by claiming that it was partially owned by the Central Intelligence Organisation because he was close friends with the publisher Trevor Ncube.
363-Trevor Ncube gets passport back
Publisher Trevor Ncube was given his passport back on 14 December after the attorney-general ruled that the seizures were unlawful.
364-Trevor Ncube says Zimbabwe is being led by “clowns and bozos”
Publisher Trevor Ncube said Zimbabwe was being led by “clowns and bozos” who were nothing compared to the “clever if unscrupulous” Jonathan Moyo who had been fired from the government and was now an independent Member of Parliament.
365-Government tries to revoke Trevor Ncube’s citizenship
The government was trying to revoke the citizenship of publisher Trevor Ncube because his father was born in Zambia. Zimbabwe did not allow dual citizenship.
366-Bennett “over the moon” with Tsvangirai’s leadership
Movement for Democratic Change treasurer Roy Bennett was “over the moon” with Morgan Tsvangirai’s leadership towards the end of 2007 saying after years of inaction Tsvangirai was finally “cleaning house.”
367-Mugabe in control- no room for Third Way
President Robert Mugabe was firmly in control of the Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front despite significant sentiment within the party that he must step down, a cable released by Wikileaks says.
368-Trevor Ncube says the MDC is a “tired and contaminated brand”
Trevor Ncube, who was one of the major drivers for a United Front to contest the 2008 elections, said he had no faith in Morgan Tsvangirai’s ability to lead the country and criticised the Movement for Democratic Change as a “tired and contaminated brand”.
369-Ncube told US does not support any political party in Zimbabwe
An official of the United States embassy in Pretoria told publisher Trevor Ncube that the US did not support any political party in Zimbabwe including the Movement for Democratic Change.
370-Trevor Ncube says Mugabe intended to annul 2008 elections
Publisher Trevor Ncube told United States embassy officials on 10 April 2008 that he had heard a “most worrisome” rumour that President Robert Mugabe was planning to annul the 29 March elections and call for fresh ones as soon as possible.
371-BBC correspondent complains about CIO meddling
A British Broadcasting Corporation correspondent who had been allowed to work in Zimbabwe with her team said the government still wanted to control reporting activities and two known Central Intelligence Organisation handlers were present all the time.
372-Mutasa says white farmers are “dirt” which needs to be cleansed
Minister of State Security and Lands, Didymus Mutasa, described white commercial farmers as “dirt” that needed to be cleansed. Addressing a land audit meeting in Masvingo, Mutasa reportedly said the remaining white farmers had to be clear out under a new land resettlement operation called “faster track”.
373-Trevor Ncube says CIO hates Mutasa
Publisher Trevor Ncube told United States ambassador Christopher Dell that the Central Intelligence Organisation as a whole hated Intelligence Minister Didymus Mutasa and morale was very low within the organisation.
374-Dell says Mutasa is not a credible reformer
United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell told former Finance Minister Simba Makoni that though President Robert Mugabe’s successor was not likely to be wedded to the past or to Mugabe’s ideology and rhetoric, it was not a given that the successor would be acceptable to the West.
375-Daily News fabricated story about Archbishop Pius Ncube?
United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Tom McDonald told Foreign Affairs official Jonathan Wutawunashe that the Daily News had fabricated a story about his meeting with the Bulawayo-based Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube on 21 September 2000.
376-Pius Ncube says Tsvangirai is too weak to lead Zimbabwe
Controversial Bulawayo cleric Archbishop Pius Ncube said the people of Zimbabwe, especially those from Matabeleland, were so scared that they would never rise up against the government.
377-Government tried to get Vatican to force Pius Ncube to retire?
The government had approached the Vatican in the early 2000s requesting that it forces the Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube to retire according to the former director of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, Michael Auret.
378-Mutasa agrees to zero-tolerance of farm disruptions
Minister of State Security and Lands Didymus Mutasa had pledged to halt any farm disruptions, particularly where the central bank or any other bank held a farmer’s loan, central bank governor Gideon Gono said in January 2006.
379-Dell seeks ways to camouflage US democracy programme
United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell suggested that US organisations should seek ways of camouflaging their support for democracy and governance programme in Zimbabwe because the Zimbabwean government seemed to be tracking these activities.
380-Georgias says Mugabe is the key
Business and Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front senator Aguy Georgias told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell that though President Robert Mugabe was increasingly isolated from events he still had authority and held the key to changing the country’s disastrous course.
381-Pius Ncube says CIO is threatening his elderly mother
Archbishop Pius Ncube was allegedly sleeping in different safe houses every night because the Central Intelligence Organisation was after him, but he was more worried about his elderly mother because the CIO had also threatened her.
382-Bishops draw up a vision for Zimbabwe
Three bishops from Manicaland and one from Bulawayo told United States embassy officials in separate conversations on 16 April 2003 that they had drawn up a 10-point vision for Zimbabwe and were quietly approaching the President’s office to arrange negotiations between the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front and the Movement for Democratic Change.
383-Pius Ncube reports to Powell instead of God – three cables
In a scathing attack of Archbishop Pius Ncube’s visit to Washington where he met Secretary of State Colin Powell, The Herald, likened the catholic cleric to Judas Iscariot accusing him of reporting to Americans instead of his master, God.
384-Jonathan Moyo says Pius Ncube is busy preaching tribalism
Former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo said Archbishop Pius Ncube was busy preaching tribalism in Zimbabwe. Moyo, who was described in the cable released by Wikileaks as a junior minister, made the comments after an opinion piece by United States Secretary of State Colin Powell which was published in the local dailies.
385-Why the MDC’s “final push” of 2003 failed- Wikileaks
The Movement for Democratic Change’s “final push” of June 2003 failed because people were not yet ready to undertake high-risk activist behaviour in defiance of the Robert Mugabe regime. Experience in other countries had conclusively shown that political defiance against a violent regime required careful planning and preparation.
386-“Deliver us from Evil” march
Leading clerics were planning to hold prayer events in Harare and Bulawayo under the banner “Deliver us from Evil”.
387-Gono says Mutasa has no place after Mugabe
Central Bank governor Gideon Gono told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell that Didymus Mutasa and Joseph Made had no place in a post-Mugabe government.
388-Mutasa says government will compensate foreign farmers in full
Didymus Mutasa, who was Minister of State Security and Lands at the time, said the government was going to respect its international agreements and would compensate foreign farmers whose countries had bilateral investment protection agreements with Zimbabwe “in full and in the currency of their choice”.
389-Dell cheers divisions in ZANU-PF
United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell was surprised when Movement for Democratic Change- Mutambara faction’s Priscilla Mushonga told him that Vice-president Joice Mujuru and Central Bank governor Gideon Gono were adversaries because he thought they were allies.
390-Madhuku says 80 percent of NCA marchers have left the country
National Constitutional Assembly President Lovemore Madhuku told United States embassy officials that it was increasingly becoming difficult to organise protest marches because about 80 percent of those “in the front row” of the NCA marches in the run up to the constitutional conference in 2000 had left the country.
President Robert Mugabe urged the church to engage in dialogue with the government and not to go to “outside authorities- Blairs and Bushes” and upbraided Bulawayo Archbishop Pius Ncube for tarnishing Zimbabwe’s image abroad.
392-Pius Ncube says MDC is not the answer- Tsvangirai is inept
A despondent Archbishop Pius Ncube told United States embassy officials that most Zimbabweans had “given up” any hope for change. The Movement for Democratic Change was ineffective. Its leader Morgan Tsvangirai vacillated and was inept.
393-Mutasa says protests by ZCTU would be a grave mistake
State Security Minister said planned protests by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions would be a “grave mistake” and security forces would not hesitate to “crush” the protestors.
A group of religious leaders presented a 43- page document entitled “The Zimbabwe We want” to President Robert Mugabe on 27 October. The document called for dialogue leading to national reconciliation and outlined specific steps to resolve Zimbabwe’s political, economic, and social problems.
395-Mutasa says Mugabe might become president for life
State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa told an online newspaper days before the crucial Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic annual conference in 2006 that someone might call for party leader Robert Mugabe to become president for life and permanent presidential candidate.
396-Pius Ncube- the odd one out
Archbishop Pius Ncube was the only Catholic bishop speaking out against the Zimbabwean government as his colleagues pointed to the “Vision Document” as the solution to Zimbabwe’s political challenges, Cardinal Wilfred Napier said.
397-Pius Ncube says it’s now time for peaceful resistance
Archbishop Pius Ncube condemned police violence which erupted in March 2007 and said it was now time for peaceful resistance to the Robert Mugabe regime. He was speaking at a press conference at which the Christian Alliance announced the death of a Movement for Democratic Change activist Itai Manyeruke.
398-Vatican says local church strong enough to stand up to Mugabe
The Holy See’s deputy foreign minister equivalent Pietro Parolin said the Vatican was considering speaking out against Zimbabwe but it was waiting for the green light from Zimbabwe’s bishops because it felt that the local church, Archbishop Pius Ncube, in particular, was strong enough to stand up to President Robert Mugabe.
399-US embassy monitors government actions during funeral of MDC activist
The United States embassy in Harare said it was planning not only to attend the funeral service of a slain Movement for Democratic Change activist Gift Tandare but it was also going to monitor government actions elsewhere in Harare.
400-Papal Nuncio says Mugabe is pretending to be a Catholic
The Papal Nuncio for South Africa James Green said the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe was embarrassing because Mugabe “pretends to be” a practicing Catholic.
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