Chronicle talks of another plot to oust Mugabe

The Chronicle said it had uncovered another plot by the United States and Britain to oust President Robert Mugabe. This time, it said, this involved a planned three-day stay away organised by the labour movement.

“Lack of structure has forced the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party to enlist services of the heavily Western-funded National Constitutional Assembly and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions to mobilise workers for mass action following defeat of its leader, Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai by President Mugabe, Chronicle learnt this week,” the paper said.

“The mass actions, being planned and directed by the U.S. and British governments will be used as ‘an excuse’ to launch a military intervention against Zimbabwe. The terms ‘civic society’ and ‘labour’ are being bandied about as the West accelerates plans to oust the legitimately elected Mugabe.”

Full cable:

Viewing cable 02HARARE706, MEDIA REACTION U. S. IMPLICATED IN PLAN TO

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

181440Z Mar 02

UNCLASSIFIED     PTO5572

PAGE 01       HARARE 00706 181452Z

ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   AF-00   A-00     ACQ-00   CIAE-00 DODE-00

DS-00   EUR-00   UTED-00 VC-00   TEDE-00 IO-00   LAB-01

VCE-00   NSAE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00   DSCC-00 DRL-02

NFAT-00 SAS-00     /003W

——————76A917 181452Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1242

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 000706

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND

SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI

FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION U. S. IMPLICATED IN PLAN TO

OUST MUGABE; HARARE

¶1.   THE LEAD STORY IN THE MARCH 16 EDITION OF THE

BULAWAYO-BASED GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY “CHRONICLE”

ASSERTS THAT THE UNITED STATES SUPPORTS A “SECRET”

PLAN TO OUST PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE. THE ARTICLE,

HEADLINED “MASS STAYAWAY PLANNED: BRITAIN AND U.S.

PLAN TO OUST PRESIDENT MUGABE,” ACCUSES THE U.S. AND

BRITAIN OF “PLANNING AND DIRECTING” WORK STOPPAGES AS

“AN EXCUSE” TO LAUNCH “A MILITARY INTERVENTION AGAINST

ZIMBABWE.” EXCERPTS OF ARTICLE, AUTHORED BY “SPECIAL

PROJECTS EDITOR” INNOCENT MADONKO, FOLLOW:

¶2.   “LACK OF STRUCTURE HAS FORCED THE OPPOSITION

MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC) PARTY TO ENLIST

SERVICES OF THE HEAVILY WESTERN-FUNDED NATIONAL

CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY (NCA) AND THE ZIMBABWE

CONGRESS OF TRADE UNIONS (ZCTU) TO MOBILIZE WORKERS

FOR MASS ACTION FOLLOWING DEFEAT OF ITS LEADER, MR.

MORGAN TSVANGIRAI BY PRESIDENT MUGABE, ‘CHRONICLE’

LEARNT THIS WEEK. THE MASS ACTIONS, BEING PLANNED AND

DIRECTED BY THE U.S. AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS WILL BE

USED AS ‘AN EXCUSE’ TO LAUNCH A MILITARY INTERVENTION

AGAINST ZIMBABWE. THE TERMS ‘CIVIC SOCIETY’ AND

‘LABOR’ ARE BEING BANDIED ABOUT AS THE WEST

ACCELERATES PLANS TO OUST THE LEGITIMATELY ELECTED

(MR.) MUGABE. . . MUGABE CREAMED MR. TSVANGIRAI IN

THE JUST-ENDED ELECTION ON 9 AND 10 MARCH. MOST

OBSERVERS EXCEPT NORWAY HAVE DECLARED THE POLLS FREE

AND FAIR. THE U.S. HAS CONDEMNED THE POLLS AS

‘FLAWED’ SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE PLANNED MILITARY

INTERVENTION. BUT THE BIGGEST HITCH OF THE PLAN IS

THE FACT THAT MDC HAS NO GRASSROOTS STRUCTURES HENCE

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 00706 181452Z

THE DECISION TO USE THE ZCTU AND NCA, BODIES THAT MR.

TSVANGIRAI ONCE ADMITTED ARE ‘THE SOUL OF MDC. . .’

ACCORDING TO. . .SOURCES, WESTERN GOVERNMENTS LED BY

THE U. S. AND BRITAIN, WERE PRESSURING THE MDC TO

UTILIZE NON POLITICAL STRUCTURES TO AUTHENTICATE THE

VIOLENCE AS ‘CIVIL UNREST’ A MOVE EXPECTED TO FURTHER

CRIPPLE THE ECONOMY. . . .”

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

>

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