The Movement for Democratic Change’s pull out from the government in October 2009 was all a façade aimed at wringing concessions from the Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front and getting the sympathy of the Southern African Development Community.
The party was not pulling of out of the government but simply disengaging from ZANU-PF.
Elton Mangoma, one of the MDC negotiators who was Economic Development and Planning Minister at the time, told United States embassy officials that although the MDC’s public position would be that resolution of all outstanding issue was necessary for reengagement, compromise was inevitable.
Mangoma said that the MDC had not even discussed internally which issues it would be willing to give on.
The embassy commented that neither ZANU-PF nor SADC responded to the MDC unless there was a crisis. The MDC had used Roy Bennett’s re-arrest to manufacture one.
The MDC pulled out of the government after Bennett was re-arrested. He was out on bail facing treason charges.
The embassy said despite the pull-out the MDC “will not leave government and will continue on the bumpy road to a constitution and elections”.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 09HARARE826, MDC TO DISENGAGE FROM ZANU-PF, BUT REMAIN IN
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|
Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO1006
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0826/01 2881543
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 151543Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5023
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 3089
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 3201
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1630
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2464
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2833
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 3249
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 5696
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2383
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000826
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR B.WALCH
DRL FOR N. WILETT
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR J. HARMON AND L. DOBBINS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2019
SUBJECT: MDC TO DISENGAGE FROM ZANU-PF, BUT REMAIN IN
GOVERNMENT
REF: HARARE 736
Classified By: CDA Donald Petterson for reason 1.4 (d)
——-
SUMMARY
——-
¶1. (C) Precipitated by the re-arrest of Roy Bennett, the MDC
has taken a decision to disengage from ZANU-PF, while
remaining in government. This means it will continue to head
ministries and participate in the process to draft a new
constitution, but will not attend meetings of the Cabinet and
Council of Ministers with ZANU-PF. Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai will attempt to meet with South African president
Jacob Zuma as well as with other SADC Troika representatives
to exert pressure on President Robert Mugabe to resolve
outstanding Global Political Agreement (GPA) issues. While
the MDC’s public position will be that reengagement is
dependent on resolution of all issues, a compromise is
likely. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (U) MDC treasurer and deputy minister of agriculture
designate Roy Bennett was rearrested yesterday after
prosecutors elected to indict him and try him in the High
Court rather than try him in the lower Magistrates’ Court.
(NOTE: Bennett returned to Zimbabwe from exile in South
Africa in January 2009. After being designated as deputy
minister of agriculture in the new government on February 10,
Bennett was arrested on February 13 and charged with treason.
He was released on bail on March 12. His trial in the
Magistrates’ Court was to have begun on October 13. END
NOTE.)
¶3. (SBU) In reaction to Bennett’s rearrest, and Mugabe’s
refusal yesterday to discuss Bennett with Tsvangirai, the MDC
Standing Committee (about 10 top MDC officials, including
Tsvangirai) met today and resolved to disengage from ZANU-PF
until GPA outstanding issues are resolved. The MDC Executive
Committee (about 50 individuals) will meet tomorrow to ratify
the decision. (The party appears solidly behind Tsvangirai.)
Tsvangirai will subsequently give a press conference and
diplomatic briefing.
¶4. (C) We spoke today with Elton Mangoma, Minister of
Economic Development and part of Tsvangirai’s inner circle,
who attended the Standing Committee meeting. Mangoma said
that Bennett’s arrest provided an “entry point” to address
outstanding issues, noting that beginning with Tsvangirai’s
address to the MDC’s 10th anniversary celebration in Bulawayo
on September 13, the MDC had begun ratcheting up the pressure
on ZANU-PF and Mugabe (Ref). He identified the outstanding
issues as the appointments of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana,
the appointments of governors, and the swearing-in of Bennett
as Deputy Minister of Agriculture. According to Mangoma,
Tsvangirai would attempt to meet soon with the leaders of the
SADC Organ on Defence, Politics, and Security; presidents
Zuma of South Africa, Guebuza of Mozambique, and Dos Santos
of Angola; to attempt to create pressure on Mugabe and
ZANU-PF. (NOTE: Tsvangirai is canceling visits to Finland
and to Sweden for European Development Days to focus on the
Qand to Sweden for European Development Days to focus on the
GPA. END NOTE.)
¶5. (C) Mangoma emphasized that the MDC was disengaing from
ZANU-PF and not the government. This means that the MDC will
not participate in meetings of the Cabinet or Council of
Ministers attended by ZANU-PF. It will continue to run its
ministries and will continue to participate in the
constitutional process to draft a new constitution. Mangoma
told us that although the MDC’s public position would be that
HARARE 00000826 002 OF 002
resolution of all outstanding issue was necessary for
reengagement, compromise was inevitable. The MDC had not yet
discussed internally which issues it would be willing to give
on. Mangoma was confident that the present impasse would
soon be resolved.
——-
COMMENT
——-
¶6. (C) Neither ZANU-PF nor SADC respond to the MDC unless
there is a crisis. The MDC has used Bennett’s rearrest to
manufacture one. The result is likely to be some incremental
progress. The MDC will not leave government and will
continue on the bumpy road to a constitution and elections.
END COMMENT.
PETTERSON
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