Has MDC been outmanoeuvred by ZANU-PF again?

President Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front always wanted a five-year transitional government while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change wanted a maximum of three years.

It looks ZANU-PF is getting its way and it is the MDC that is back pedalling but at the same time fitting into ZANU-PF’s original plan.

According to a cable released by Wikileaks ZANU-PF wanted a bloated cabinet to accommodate its top officials. It wanted a cabinet of 36 with 15 from ZANU-PF and another 15 from MDC-T and six for the Arthur Mutambara faction of the MDC.

Tsvangirai’s proposal called for 22 ministries, plus positions of prime minister and two deputies. ZANU-PF and MDC-Tsvangirai were to split the ministries and Mutambara would be given one or two.

When the parties signed the Global Political Agreement, ZANU-PF ended up with 15 cabinet posts with Tsvangirai’s MDC having 13 and Mutambara’s faction 3.

But when the inclusive government was formed in February 2009, the cabinet had been increased to 41 and ZANU-PF had more seats than the MDC.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 08HARARE676, ZANU-PF–MDC NEGOTIATIONS SITREP

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C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000676

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STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS

STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2013

TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC ZI

SUBJECT: ZANU-PF–MDC NEGOTIATIONS SITREP

REF: HARARE 674

Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reason 1.4 (d)

¶1. (C) Negotiations between ZANU-PF and the MDC took place

all day Sunday and ended at 2:00 am Sunday morning after a

closed-door session facilitated by South African president

Thabo Mbeki with Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and MDC

leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara as the only

participants. The major obstacle to an agreement is the

allocation of executive power. Although Tsvangirai had

believed that Mugabe would cede executive power to him and

assume the role of ceremonial president in order to achieve

an honorable exit (Ref), Mugabe has refused to do so and is

insisting on a power-sharing agreement. Reportedly, Mugabe

wants to have jurisdiction over defense and security, and

foreign affairs; under his proposal the MDC would have

control over finance and economic-related ministries.

¶2. (C) Other contentious issues are the size of cabinet and

the duration of the government. ZANU-PF wants a bloated

cabinet to accommodate its top level officials. It has

proposed a 36-member cabinet with ZANU-PF and the

MDC-Tsvangirai faction each holding 15 seats and the

MDC-Mutambara faction receiving 6 ministries. Tsvangirai’s

proposal calls for 22 ministries, plus positions of prime

minister and two deputies. ZANU-PF and MDC-Tsvangirai would

split the ministries; Mutambara would be given one or two.

Tsvangirai wants a transitional government with a maximum

term of 36 months; ZANU-PF is negotiating for a five year

government.

¶3. (C) All signs are that Mutambara has swung to Mugabe’s

camp. He wrote an op-ed published on Sunday in the weekly

The Standard in which he praised the liberation struggle and

bashed Western interference in Zimbabwe. He also attended

the Heroes Day celebration on Monday at which Mugabe spoke

and made favorable references to him. (Tsvangirai did not

attend.)

¶4. (C) The British Charge told us today that British Prime

Minister Gordon Brown called Tsvangirai on Sunday, urged him

to stay the course, and emphasized there would be no renewal

of international engagement if Mugabe retained executive

power. Tsvangirai told Brown, as he told us, that he would

hold firm and insist he hold all executive power; Mugabe

could become a ceremonial president. Mugabe has also

maintained his position, supported by the GOZ service chiefs,

as well as ZANU-PF heavyweights such as Reserve Bank of

Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono and Emmerson Mnangagwa.

¶4. COMMENT: Negotiations resumed this afternoon.

Tsvangirai is under intense pressure. Mugabe and Mutambara

are apparently negotiating from the same play book and Mbeki,

who has said he will stay until a deal is completed,

desperately wants an agreement before South Africa assumes

the SADC presidency on August 16. If Tsvangirai continues to

stand on principle, however, it is difficult to see how an

agreement will be reached. END COMMENT.

MCGEE

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