International Crisis Group analyst Sydney Masamvu told United States embassy officials in South Africa that when Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono came to South Africa to discuss a bailout, Gono told him that Mugabe had given him free rein to discuss the loan.
Gono told him that he hoped that the South African government would give him $500 million to “deal with the IMF”.
According to the cable released by Wikileaks which was dispatched on 5 August 2005, the South African cabinet was “open” to providing Zimbabwe with assistance.
Government spokesman Joel Netshitenzhe said that South Africa was considering loaning between $200 – $500 million to Zimbabwe.
The money was, however, not going to be paid directly to the Zimbabwe government but was going to go through the International Monetary Fund.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 05PRETORIA3141, CABINET GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO ZIMBABWE LOAN;
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L PRETORIA 003141
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR AF/S B. NEULING AND K. GAITHER, EB/IFD, EB/OMA
LONDON, PARIS, BRUSSELS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2015
TAGS: PREL PHUM ECON KDEM ZI SF
SUBJECT: CABINET GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO ZIMBABWE LOAN;
ZIMBABWEAN FINANCE OFFICIALS VISIT PRETORIA
REF: A. PRETORIA 2854
¶B. PRETORIA 2948
¶C. PRETORIA 2983
Classified By: Acting DCM Jeff Hartley
Reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
¶1. (U) The South African Cabinet announced August 3 that it
is “open” to providing assistance to Zimbabwe, including
“provision of a loan facility in relation to Zimbabwe’s
obligations to the International Monetary Fund” (full Cabinet
statement on Zimbabwe loan at para 5). Government spokesman
Joel Netshitenzhe said that South Africa is considering
loaning between $200 – $500 million to Zimbabwe to address
the GOZ’s obligations to the IMF.
¶2. (U) Netshitenzhe claimed that the SAG will not impose
“conditions” on the loan because Pretoria does not want to be
big brother to its neighbor, but then outlined some general
criteria for the loan that seemed to indicate that, indeed,
Pretoria would apply conditions (see para 3):
— the loan must benefit the Zimbabwean people as a whole;
— it must be within the context of Zimbabwean program of
economic reform and “political normalization;”
— the SAG expects that it will pay the funds directly to the
IMF, not the GOZ; and
— South Africa wants to ensure that the economic
difficulties that created the problems will not reoccur in
the future.
¶3. (C) Zimbabwean Finance Minister Murerwa and Reserve Bank
Governor Gono arrived in South Africa the afternoon of August
4, according to International Crisis Group analyst Sydney
Masamvu. Masamvu, who spoke with Gono August 4, said that
Gono and Murerwa planned to meet with South African Finance
Minister Manuel and Reserve Bank Governor Mboweni upon
arrival to discuss the loan conditions. Gono said they hoped
to receive $500 million from the South Africans to “deal with
the IMF problem.” Gono had free rein from Mugabe to discuss
SAG economic conditions for the loan, but Presidents Mugabe
and Mbeki would discuss the political conditions on the
sidelines of the AU summit on UN reform taking place in Addis
Ababa August 4. Finalizing the loan with South Africa was
particularly urgent for the GOZ since the Zimbabweans had not
received the support they sought from the Chinese, Gono told
Masamvu.
¶4. (C) Comment. It appears we are entering the end game on
the South African loan to Zimbabwe. While Pretoria insists
publicly it is not imposing conditions on their loan, the
reality is that they will not provide funds without at least
some guarantees on economic reform. The nature of the
political conditions are less predictable given that they are
being handled at the presidential level. End comment.
¶5. (U) Text of the August 3 South African Cabinet statement
on the loan as follows: “Cabinet was briefed on the ongoing
interaction between South Africa and Zimbabwe on the
assistance that South Africa can provide to that country. In
principle, government is open to such assistance, including
provision of a loan facility in relation to Zimbabwe’s
obligations to the International Monetary Fund. Our approach
on this matter is premised on the principle that such
assistance should be to the benefit of the Zimbabwean people
as a whole, within the context of their programme of economic
recovery and political normalization.”
FRAZER
(32 VIEWS)
