Posts by Charles Rukuni

Poaching had become so rampant in Zimbabwe that the conservancy and hunting industry said it had lost game worth more than US $40 million since the farm and property invasions began in 2000.

(13 VIEWS)

Alex Mupa, an advisor to Movement for Democratic Change candidate Boniface Pakai, told United States embassy officials in 2001 that the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front had established a new resettlement scheme in the Save Conservancy to distribute land to those promising to vote for the party in the Bikita by-election.

(23 VIEWS)

Proposals by the managers of the Save Conservancy to have some of the proceeds generated by tourism in the area ploughed back to the local community would still leave the conservancy a “white island” and that was not acceptable, former Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge told United States embassy officials and then US Assistant Secretary of State Susan Rice 12 years ago.

(26 VIEWS)

United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Tom McDonald warned Zimbabwe that if land belonging to United States citizens was forcibly acquired without appropriate compensation this would have real adverse effects on the Zimbabwe-US relations.

(14 VIEWS)

The Prime Minister and Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai has fought for democracy in Zimbabwe since he became secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions in the 1980s. It was in that role that he was catapulted to the MDC. He has the highest number of Wikileaks cables released on Zimbabwe, more than 800. But whether it was for better or worse, only the public can decide. Here are the first 420. We are just half-way through.

(16 VIEWS)

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai said South African President Thabo Mbeki did not like him personally but in politics you had to work with people whether you liked them or not.

(14 VIEWS)

Movement for Democratic Change secretary general Tendai Biti denounced reports that the party was considering a government of national unity or a vice-presidential spot for party leader Morgan Tsvangirai and warned that there could be an outbreak of violence.

(44 VIEWS)

The campaign manager for the Movement for Democratic Change- Mutambara candidate during the 2008 elections complained to United States embassy officials that the votes that Vice-President Joice Mujuru got for the Mt Darwin West constituency was “dubiously high” for the support that she had.

(44 VIEWS)

South Africa’s former ambassador to Zimbabwe Kingsley Mamabolo, who was Pretoria’s special envoy to the Great Lakes, said he believed there was some truth in President Robert Mugabe’s statements that his votes were undercounted by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission officials in the 2008 elections because some of the officials were among the many ZANU-PF members who were “jumping ship to the MDC”.

(41 VIEWS)

The Herald reported a week after the 2008 elections that five Zimbabwe Electoral Commission officials had been arrested for allegedly tampering with electoral results and prejudicing Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front presidential candidate Robert Mugabe of 4 993 votes.

(22 VIEWS)