Mangoma says Biti “cooked” his first budget with Mugabe

Former Minister for Economic Planning Elton Mangoma said Finance Minister Tendai Biti “cooked” his first budget with President Robert Mugabe who then at the cabinet meeting asserted his authority with the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front ministers.

Mangoma said this was an example of how the Movement for Democratic Change was asserting its power in the new inclusive government.

He said though there were roadblocks, Constitutional Amendment 19 had greatly constrained Mugabe’s powers and the MDC and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai were learning how to assert control of government.

Mangoma was one of the chief negotiators for the MDC and is currently Minister of Energy.

He said Biti had been successful in revising the first budget downwards because he met with Mugabe before the cabinet meeting and convinced him that the revision was necessary.

“While ZANU-PF ministers were resistant, Biti had already ‘cooked’ the deal with Mugabe who then at the cabinet meeting asserted his authority with the ZANU-PF ministers,” Mangoma is quoted as having told United States embassy officials.

The next hurdle was to get rid of Gono because he was a symbol of the worst of ZANU-PF governance.

Mangoma said Biti was already stripping Gono of his powers, so apart from symbolism; it was largely irrelevant whether Gono stayed or left.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 09HARARE240, ELTON MANGOMA ON THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2019

TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM ZI

SUBJECT: ELTON MANGOMA ON THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

Classified By: CDA Katherine Dhanani for reason 1.4 (b) and (d)

¶1. (C) Minister of Economic Development Elton Mangoma

provided Polecon Chief on March 19 his observations on the

current political landscape.

¶2. (C) Mangoma, who was one of the MDC negotiators in

arriving at the Inter-Party Agreement and was supportive of

the MDC entering into government, expressed cautious

optimism. While acknowledging roadblocks, he averred that

Amendment 19 has greatly constrained Mugabe’s powers and that

the MDC and Prime Minister Tsvangirai were gradually learning

how to assert control of government. He pointed to Minister

of Finance Tendai Biti’s successful downward revision of the

budget (Septel). Biti had met with Mugabe before the cabinet

meeting at which the revised budget was discussed and

convinced him that the revision was necessary. While ZANU-PF

ministers were resistant, Biti had already “cooked” the deal

with Mugabe who then at the cabinet meeting asserted his

authority with the ZANU-PF ministers.

¶3. (C) Biti has been negotiating for budgetary support and

credit with South Africa. Mangoma told us he was relatively

confident that the South Africans would provide a significant

revolving line of credit; budgetary support was more doubtful.

¶4. (C) The MDC has made it clear publicly and privately,

according to Mangoma, that it wants Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

(RBZ) governor Gideon Gono to leave. He said the MDC was

approaching this on a political level through discussions

with Mugabe. Biti was trying to strip Gono of power by

usurping many of the functions of the RBZ. Mangoma said Gono

had asked for a meeting with him; he would tell Gono he

should leave. Mangoma realized Gono’s importance as a symbol

of the worst of ZANU-PF governance and believed he would be

forced out in the not too distant future. He argued,

however, that Gono was becoming powerless and, apart from

symbolism, it was largely irrelevant whether Gono stayed or

left.

¶5. (C) Mangoma stated that the MDC continued to be concerned

about farm invasions, but was uncertain who was orchestrating

them. The matter would be discussed at the next meeting of

the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC).

JOMIC is functioning collegially, according to Mangoma, and

he credited it with facilitating the release of detainees.

(NOTE: Mangoma confirmed that there are three MDC members

still detained in “protective custody” as potential

witnesses. The whereabouts of seven activists are unknown.

END NOTE.)

¶6. (C) Roy Bennett has been sworn in as a Senator but,

Mangoma informed us, Mugabe has resisted swearing him in as a

Deputy Minister of Agriculture. The MDC was approaching this

in a low-key and non-public manner which Mangoma opined was

the best way to deal with Mugabe.

¶7. (C) Turning to sanctions, Mangoma said that as a sop to

ZANU-PF Tsvangirai had referred to eliminating “restrictive

measures” in his inaugural address to Parliament, but wanted

Qmeasures” in his inaugural address to Parliament, but wanted

to avoid saying more. Mangoma argued to us that individual

sanctions should remain, but sanctions on parastatals and

banks should be lifted to free up frozen funds for the

government and loosen credit. He pointed out that

parastatals were now under the MDC Ministry of State

Enterprises and Parastatals.

¶8. (C) Also on the issue of sanctions, Mangoma related that

he had attended a function in honor of the visiting Danish

Minister of Cooperation Development. At the function MDC-M

ministers Welshman Ncube and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga

were even more vocal than ZANU-PF Miister of Justice Patrick

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Chinamasa in urging that sanctions be lifted.

¶9. (C) COMMENT: As an architect of the current arrangement,

that Mangoma would provide a positive assessment is not

surprising. The evidence he cites in making the case for

optimism, however, is both real and significant. END COMMENT.

DHANANI

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