Central Bank governor Gideon Gono gave a copy of a letter he had written to President Robert Mugabe recommending that the president ensures free and fair elections and open up the electoral process to international observers including the United States and Britain to United States ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGhee.
The letter was handed over to an economics officer of the United States embassy by Gono’s senior advisor Munyaradzi Kereke on 13 February 2008,six weeks before the 29 March elections.
It was dated 7 February.
The letter was scanned and posted to Washington.
Gono said the central bank made a special dispensation to gear up for the elections and this high level of preparedness, he said, should give the government added comfort to open up the entire elections process.
The central bank had built up reserves of 100 million litres of fuel exclusively for the elections.
It had increased the number of vehicles for logistical election support from 65 to 700.
It had also purchased 2 500 computers from China, 7 000 power generators and 11 000 polling station tents.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 08HARARE131, RBZ GOVERNOR GONO MAKES CASE TO MUGABE FOR
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO8298
PP RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0131/01 0451529
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 141529Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2485
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 1844
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 1772
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 1898
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1175
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1532
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 1954
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4383
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1025
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC//DHO-7//
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK//DOOC/ECMO/CC/DAO/DOB/DOI//
RUEPGBA/CDR USEUCOM INTEL VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ23-CH/ECJ5M//
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000131
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL,
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
TREASURY FOR J. RALYEA AND T.RAND
COMMERCE FOR BECKY ERKUL
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2017
SUBJECT: RBZ GOVERNOR GONO MAKES CASE TO MUGABE FOR
INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVERS
REF: A) HARARE 88 B) HARARE 85
Classified By: Classified By Amb. James D. McGee for reasons 1.4 (d)
——-
Summary
——-
¶1. (C) Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Senior Advisor
Munyaradzi Kereke told econoff in a meeting at the RBZ on
February 13 that RBZ Governor Gono had recommended in a
letter to President Mugabe that he ensure free and fair
elections and open the electoral process up to international
observers from the US and U.K. He had also advised Mugabe
that the RBZ’s extraordinary expenditure on fuel, vehicles
and other materials for the elections should give the GOZ
comfort to open up the election process further. On economic
reform, Kereke said far-reaching measures that are planned
for after the elections, such as devaluation, would only
infuriate the people if introduced now. We see no evidence
that Mugabe is considering allowing in international
observers and wonder whether Gono and Kereke might be
posturing for our favor in a possible post-Mugabe era. End
Summary.
——————————————— —————-
Gono Recommends Mugabe Allow International Election Observers
——————————————— —————-
¶2. (C) Kereke gave econoff a copy of a letter from Gono to
President Mugabe, dated Feruary 7, in which Gono recommended
inviting reginal and international election observers,
“incluing from those countries that may have differences
with Zimbabwe.” Kereke said Gono had heeded the mbassador’s
advice to the Governor (Ref A) in maing his recommendation.
————————————
More Spending On Election Preparaton
————————————-
¶3. (C Gono’s letter to Mugabe (post has emailed a scannd
copy to the desk) focuses on Zimbabwe’s logistcal
preparedness for the forthcoming elections. While the
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) ha under-budgeted
election expenditures, the RBZ, “in a special dispensation,”
had taken compensatory measures outlined in the letter; it
had built up fuel reserves (100 million liters) exclusively
for elections, upped the number of motor vehicles being
purchased for logistical election support from 65 to 700,
purchased 2,500 computers “from China” for election-related
institutions, and purchased 7,000 power generators and 11,000
polling station tents. The letter further stated that, “the
high level of preparedness should give Government added
comfort to open up the entire elections process.”
¶4. (C) Reiterating Gono’s post-election economic priorities,
particularly convergence of exchange rates, he explained that
devaluation now was out of the question, as the country was
“on the verge of an explosion” and such a drastic measure, if
introduced now, would infuriate the people. He said the GOZ
wanted “a smooth transition, not another Kenya,” and would
introduce social safety nets after the elections to cushion
the shock of reform.
——————
Bad Blood with IMF
HARARE 00000131 002 OF 002
——————
¶5. (C) Kereke also conveyed Gono’s interest in promoting
discussion of economic stabilization measures between the RBZ
(at Kereke’s level) and Embassy officials, as Ambassador had
suggested in their initial meeting. Asked by econoff whether
the RBZ was also in discussion with the IMF, Kereke painted a
picture of “bad blood” between the two institutions. He
attributed the most recent falling out to a letter written by
Zimbabwe’s ambassador to the US Dr. Machivenyika Mapuranga to
President Mugabe alleging that Zimbabwe’s representative to
the IMF Board of Directors had advised him that Gono be
fired. Explaining that Ambassador Mapuranga was aligned with
the Mujuru faction, Kereke bemoaned the IMF’s perceived
failure to understand Zimbabwe’s factional politics.
——-
Comment
——-
¶6. (C) Gono and another Mugabe intimate, Nicholas Goche,
Minister of Public Service, Labor, and Social Welfare (Ref
B), told the Ambassador they were receptive to international
election observers and would raise the issue with Mugabe.
Whether they were trying to curry favor with us or were
sincere, with elections less than two months away it is
doubtful international observers would accept an invitation
to observe. The European Union has told us it would not come
at this point, and we suspect the African Union, the Carter
Center, and others, would take the same position. We don’t
discount the GOZ inviting international observers after
candidate nomination day on February 15–knowing that it is
too late–and then trying to take credit for the invitation.
MCGEE
(47 VIEWS)
