Stories

Roy Bennett has been a pain in the neck of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front since he joined the Movement for Democratic Change. The party first chased him off his farm, claimed he was involved in an attempt to assassinate President Robert Mugabe, hounded him out of Parliament, forced him into exile, refused to appoint him deputy Minister of Agriculture. But the man, popularly known in Chimanimani as Pachedu, still hangs on as the chief fund-raiser of the MDC. There are 117 cables on him. Here they are.

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Movement for Democratic Change treasurer Roy Bennett said Zimbabweans in the diaspora were so divided and “tribalist” that he had chosen to focus on fundraising among the smaller group of elite Zimbabwean businessmen living in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs.

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David Butau, a close associate of Vice-President Joice Mujuru, arranged a secret meeting between United States ambassador Charles Ray and Mrs Mujuru at which no security or foreign affairs officials were present.

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ZANU-PF Member of Parliament and businessman David Butau told a United States embassy official that he had to suck up to the ruling party because that was the only way to safeguard his budding business empire.

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One of former army commander Solomon Mujuru’s principal backers David Butau told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell that the Mujuru faction had decided to undermine President Robert Mugabe’s principal economic backers rather than target him directly.

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David Butau, Walter Mzembi and Charles Majange all made their names as young Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front legislators fighting for reform within the party and tackling their leaders to be more accountable.

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The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Budget David Butau told United States embassy officials, soon after the party conference at Goromonzi, that the overwhelming majority of ZANU-PF members wanted party president Robert Mugabe out in 2008.

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Silvester Nguni was a rising star in business after he turned around the Common Marketing Board to one of the biggest public companies listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange. That was until he entered politics. He is now parked as Minister of State in Vice-President Joice Mujuru’s Office, though he had promised that he could turn around the country’s agriculture in six months if he was appointed minister of that portfolio. There are nine cables on him. Here they are.

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A Movement for Democratic Change candidate for the Chipinge elections in 2008 said he had only been given $100 for his campaign and suggested that if there was any money at all for the campaign it was probably being used by party bigwigs in Harare.

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Movement for Democratic Change treasurer Roy Bennett predicted a shock victory for his party in the 2008 saying he had never seen such excitement on the ground since 2000 because people simply wanted Mugabe gone.

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