Death of Jokonya a sign that old generation is leaving the scene

The United States embassy in Harare said the death of Information Minister Tichaona Jokonya on 21 June 2006 literally and symbolically reinforced the message that ZANU-PF’s older generation was leaving the scene and President Robert Mugabe was even more isolated.

Jokonya was 67 compared to Mugabe who was 82.

The embassy said Jokonya, a former diplomat, had never exerted the same influence on policy that his predecessor Jonathan Moyo had and speculated that Mugabe might appoint his spokesman George Charamba as the new minister.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 06HARARE765, INFORMATION MINISTER’S PASSING LEAVES NO VOID

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COMMERCE FOR BECKY ERKUL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2011

TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KPAO ZI

SUBJECT: INFORMATION MINISTER’S PASSING LEAVES NO VOID

REF: 05 HARARE 663

Classified By: Ambassador Christopher W. Dell under Section 1.4 b/d

¶1. (U) The state media on June 22 announced the June 21

death of Minister of Information and Publicity Tichaona

Jokonya. A former Permanent Representative at the UN and

Executive Director of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Jokonya

was 67. The minister had been treated in the United States

for an undisclosed ailment last year before being placed on

the sanctions list following his appointment. Jokonya was a

first-time MP from Chikomba, a Mashonaland East ZANU-PF

stronghold where he won his seat in March 2005 by a

comfortable margin of 17,925 to 7,403. In a condolence

message published on the front page of the state-controlled

Sunday Mail, President Mugabe mourned the loss of one of the

nation’s “top diplomats, scholars, administrators and

politicians.”

¶2. (C) Comment: Jokonya’s death literally and symbolically

reinforces the message that ZANU-PF’s older generation is

leaving the scene and that Mugabe is even more isolated.

Jokonya never exerted the same influence on policy or the

state propaganda apparatus as did his notorious predecessor,

Jonathan Moyo. The state media’s message during his tenure

became less focused and coherent, although still relentlessly

anti-Western. There is no word on his ministerial

replacement, but we would not rule out Mugabe appointing his

press spokesperson, George Charamba to the minister,s

position as well. No word yet either on the date of a

parliamentary by-election, which seems unlikely to be of

great political significance given ZANU-PF’s historical sway

over the vacated seat.

DELL

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