Gono gives copy of letter to Mugabe to US ambassador

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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ZNY CCCCC ZZH

P 141529Z FEB 08

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2485

INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

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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

TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON ASEC ZI

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)

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Summary

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¶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

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¶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

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¶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.

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Comment

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¶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

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