The International Republican Institute country director for Zimbabwe Djordje Todorovic said the Movement for Democratic Change was a movement and not a political party and was likely to fall apart as soon as President Robert Mugabe was gone.
He told the United States ambassador to South Africa Eric Bost that for now the party shared the common goal of removing Mugabe but as soon as he was gone what little cohesion they had would quickly dissipate.
Todorovic called the MDC’s ideology “schizophrenic,” adding that the MDC was filled with everyone from anarchists to right wingers.
He said in working with party officials most had tended to be more interested in the money that he could give them than political advice.
Asked about Tsvangirai’s leadership, he said that there were jokes circulating within the MDC like, “Morgan may be driving the bus, but no one is in it,” or “The bus has stopped, but Morgan still thinks he’s driving”.
He added, however, that though he felt many in the MDC were unhappy with Tsvangirai, he did not see anyone who could easily take his place.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 08PRETORIA1782, IRI DOUBTFUL THAT MDC WILL MEET ITS OWN
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO9383
RR RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSA #1782/01 2260946
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 130946Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5376
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 5902
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 0071
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 001782
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/08/2018
SUBJECT: IRI DOUBTFUL THAT MDC WILL MEET ITS OWN
EXPECTATIONS
PRETORIA 00001782 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Political Counselor Raymond L. Brown. Reasons 1.4(b) an
d (d).
¶1. (C) SUMMARY. On 8 August, PolOff met with IRI Zimbabwe
Country Director Djordje Todorovic to gather his impressions
of the MDC since moving to South Africa in March. He
admitted that he had difficulty getting started, but that MDC
members are much more responsive to him now, though he is
often left with the impression that they view him as a
funding opportunity more than a political resource. He said
the MDC equates itself with the ANC, and feels Zimbabwe’s
historical trajectory will mirror South Africa’s political
transition. However, the reality, he said, is that he fears
that the MDC is a fragmented party with no common ideology
that is likely to fall apart soon after Mugabe is gone. END
SUMMARY.
¶2. (C) On 8 August, PolOff met with IRI Zimbabwe Country
Director Djordje Todorovic to gather his impressions of the
MDC since moving to South Africa at the end of March. For
much of April and May, Todorovic said he found it difficult
to work with anyone in MDC as they were either hastily
preparing for the run-off or in a holding pattern waiting for
direction, with times where the party seemed equally split
among the two scenarios. With MDC Treasurer Roy Bennett’s
help and word of mouth among MDC circles in Johannesburg,
Todorovic said he has been able to make some progress. Over
the past two weeks, Todorovic has brought two groups down
from Harare for two-day training sessions. The first group
included 14 members of the MDC secretariat and the second one
included their information services (i.e., public relations)
department. Training focused on leadership skills, team
building, and what he called “basic party work” like
door-to-door campaigning, creating party databases, and
generating internal reporting mechanisms to keep everyone
informed. Todorovic said both groups had been through
generic team-building/leadership exercises before, but that
it was obvious that they had not received training on party
mechanics.
————————————-
FIRST IMPRESSIONS CENTER AROUND MONEY
————————————-
3.(C) Overall, Todorovic said he was impressed with everyone
who attended his training sessions. They all seemed
motivated and committed, and worked well together, he said.
More specifically, he said two people stood out among the
rest: Toendepi Shonhe, Director General, and Luke
Tamborinyoka, Director of Information and Publicity. Shonhe,
he said, was extremely responsive and “the person you go to
when you want something done.” Tamborinyoka, a former
professional journalist, stood out as extremely intelligent
and good at what he does. Todorovic’s only complaint was
that everytime any idea was generated, either by him or the
group, their first response was how much money would he give
them to implement it.
¶4. (C) Asking if anyone else in the MDC stood out for better
or worse, he replied MDC Regional Office Spokesperson
Nqobizitha Mlilo and MDC Spokesperson George Sibotshiwe.
Todorovic described Mlilo as “young, smart, extremely
ambitious, and greedy because the first thing he always asks
me for is money.” Todorovic also singled Mlilo out because
he is a “Che Guevera-loving socialist and a pan-Africanist
who generally dislikes white people because he finds them
patronizing.” Todorovic said he gets on well with Mlilo, but
Qpatronizing.” Todorovic said he gets on well with Mlilo, but
he suspects it is in part because he is not American. As for
Sibotshiwe, Todorovic said he also comes across as extremely
ambitious. In fact, Mlilo and Sibotshiwe have become
inter-party rivals, he said. (BIO NOTE: Both Mlilo and
Sibotshiwe were “discovered” by Roy Bennett in Cape Town
sometime last year. Bennett hired Sibotshiwe, who has
ambitions to either star or make movies in Hollywood, to be
Tsvangirai’s personal assistant. According to MDC advisor
Stuart Doran, Sibotshiwe was initially devoted to Bennett and
would serve as his “spy.” However, at some point, Sibotshiwe
became more loyal to Tsvangirai than Bennett. Numerous MDC
contacts, as well as Todorovic, say they distrust Sibotshiwe,
with the most common complaint being “George takes care of
himself first.” Sibotshiwe “fled” to Johannesburg soon after
the June run-off, complaining that his life was in danger.
Few MDC and diplomatic contacts PolOff has spoken to,
however, believe he was in danger. END NOTE)
————————–
PRETORIA 00001782 002.2 OF 002
MDC COMPARES ITSELF TO ANC
————————–
¶5. (C) Todorovic said his interactions with the MDC give him
the impression that they mistakenly equate themselves with
the ANC. In fact, he said they act as if they have the same
international status as the ANC did during apartheid and
believe their transition should and will be identical to that
of the ANC’s. Todorovic added that MDC secretariat members
who traveled to South Africa for training told him they
needed time to meet with the ANC before they left. (NOTE:
Irish Ambassador Colin Wrafter (also accredited to Harare)
(protect) told PolOff on 7 August that MDC Leader Morgan
Tsvangirai is taking ANC counsel, including ANC heavyweight
Cyril Ramaphosa, Mandela’s former lawyer George Bizos, Mbeki
rival and ANC veteran Mac Maharaj, and Matthew Clarkson who
is the son of one of South Africa’s first Constitutional
Court judges post-apartheid. END NOTE)
———————————
MDC LACKS IDEOLOGY AND LEADERSHIP
———————————
¶6. (C) Coming directly from Iraq, Todorovic said he would
describe the MDC as a movement, rather than a party. He said
for now, they share the common goal of removing Mugabe, but
as soon as he is gone, what little cohesion they have now
will quickly dissipate. Todorovic called the MDC’s ideology
“schizophrenic,” adding that the MDC is filled with everyone
from anarchists to right wingers. Asked about rumors of
splits within Tsvangirai’s faction, Todorovic admitted that
many people he has spoken to complain about Tsvangirai’s lack
of leadership since the 29 March election. He said there are
jokes circulating within the MDC like, “Morgan may be driving
the bus, but no one is in it,” or “The bus has stopped, but
Morgan still thinks he’s driving.” However, while he feels
many in the MDC are unhappy with Tsvangirai, he said he does
not see anyone who can easily take his place. (COMMENT:
Numerous MDC contacts and civil society members over the past
two weeks have complained about the lack of information and
consultation coming out of the negotiations, fueling rumors
that Tsvangirai is about to “sell out.” MDC Advisor Stuart
Doran said on 7 August that even Secretary General Tendai
Biti is complaining about being cut out of the negotiating
process. While Tsvangirai has made it clear to US and other
diplomats that he is standing firm on principle, the secrecy
surrounding the negotiations is simply causing people to
speculate the worst. END COMMENT)
BOST
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