Did Bennett dupe Tsvangirai when he registered the Global Alliance for Zimbabwe?

Profiles for McGee and James are no longer available on the archived part of the website but McGee is a career diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to Zimbabwe during its darkest period from 2007 to 2009. McGee had several brushes with the Zimbabwean government with President Robert Mugabe at one time threatening to expel him because of his political involvement in the 2008 elections. McGee also served as US ambassador to Swaziland, Madagascar and The Comoros.

Kevin James is a former Zimbabwean businessman who now runs the third largest poultry producer in South Africa, Country Bird Holdings. James established Ross Breeders Zimbabwe and merged it with Crest Breeders International, and then reverse listed the combined business through a merger with a leading listed company in the food sector in Zimbabwe, Consolidated Farming Investments.He also established Ross Zambia. He left Zimbabwe after the intensified land reform programme to establish CBH in South Africa and reinvested in Zimbabwe after acquiring the KFC franchise. CBH was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange but delisted last year.

Bennett also roped in one of the top lobbying companies in Washington DC, Goddard Gunster, to prop the Global Alliance for Zimbabwe. It is still not clear how he struck the deal or structured it, but the company boasts on its website: “Goddard Gunster does advocacy better than anyone else”.

The Global Alliance for Zimbabwe was launched by one of the partners, Ben Goddard, who was described by the Washington Post as the “Godfather of TV lobbying”.

Goddard was best known for his “Harry and Louise” television advertising campaign which helped to kill off President Bill Clinton's proposed health care plan in 1993–1994 and Congressional health care reform proposals in 1994.

He also worked for President Jimmy Carter and helped to create the first ever political advertising campaign in Russia for President Boris Yeltsin.

The firm said it was approached by the Movement for Democratic Change “to help secure the party’s position in Zimbabwe and raise international awareness of terror and corruption going on within the country”.

Tsvangirai spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka, however, said GAZ was formed without the party leader’s knowledge.

Continued next page

(500 VIEWS)