Mudenge says Mugabe has never refused to go

Former Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge said President Robert Mugabe had never refused to go but there was a campaign to discredit him in an attempt to frustrate the land reform programme he had embarked on.

In a letter to United States secretary of State Collin Powell, Mudenge said during the liberation struggle, Mugabe, who led the forces that brought freedom, democracy and the rule of law to Zimbabwe after years of illegality and racist oppression, was the target of such a vicious racist smear campaign by the adversaries of freedom and independence.

“Those same negative forces have never forgiven him for his role in the demise of their hegemony and have now regrouped and seized on his efforts to effect a fair and just land reform to orchestrate a vicious and malicious character assassination in an attempt to frustrate his efforts to correct, once and for all, the grotesque and skewed land distribution system in this country, where one percent of the population owns 70% of the arable land.

“Perceptions are being created that President Mugabe, whose mandate the people of Zimbabwe have overwhelmingly renewed in successive elections held in accordance with the constitution of our country and acknowledged to be free and fair by all, is ‘refusing to go’.

“The fact that President Mugabe is serving a term of office to which the people of Zimbabwe elected him, and that the same people will, next year, exercise their constitutional right to elect a president of their choice is being cynically ignored.”

Full cable:

Viewing cable 01HARARE1955, LETTER FROM ZIMBABWEAN FM MUDENGE TO SECRETARY

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

CONFIDENTIAL     PTO0011

PAGE 01       HARARE 01955 01 OF 02 221832Z

ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00   COR-01   NP-00   AMAD-00 ACQ-00   CIAE-00 CPR-02

USNW-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00   EUR-00   VC-00   H-01

TEDE-00 INR-00   L-00     VCE-00   AC-01   DCP-01   NSAE-00

OMB-01   PA-00   PM-00   PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SP-00

SSC-01   SSO-00   SS-00   TRSE-00 T-00     USIE-00 R-00

PMB-00   DSCC-00 DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00 SAS-00   SWCI-00

/010W

——————FC80E5 221837Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9137

INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001955

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (CLASS BY ADDEED)

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/11

TAGS: PREL OPDC ZI

SUBJECT: LETTER FROM ZIMBABWEAN FM MUDENGE TO SECRETARY

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02       HARARE 01955 01 OF 02 221832Z

POWELL

REF: HARARE 1717

(U) CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE’ D’AFFAIRS AUBREY HOOKS; REASON:

1.5 (B) AND (D).

¶1. (U) ON JUNE 19, THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS’ UNDER

SECRETARY FOR EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS JONATHAN WUTAWUNASHE

SIPDIS

CONVOKED POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF TO DELIVER A LETTER FROM

FOREIGN MINISTER MUDENGE TO SECRETARY POWELL. THE SIGNED

ORIGINAL HAS BEEN POUCHED TO AF/S. THE TEXT OF THE LETTER

FOLLOWS BELOW:

¶2. (C) BEGIN TEXT:

18 JUNE, 2001

MR. SECRETARY

I WISH TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR EFFORTS TO RAISE THE PROFILE OF

AFRICA BY VISITING SOME AFRICAN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THOSE

IN OUR SUB-REGION, SO EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE PRESENT U.S.

ADMINISTRATION. YOUR VISIT WOULD, OF COURSE, HAVE BEEN MOST

WELCOME, HAD YOUR SCHEDULE ALLOWED YOU TO VISIT ZIMBABWE

BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE ENABLED YOU TO FORM FIRST HAND

IMPRESSIONS OF THE CHARACTER OF OUR NATION, ITS HISTORICAL

EXPERIENCES AND ASPIRATIONS. IT WILL CERTAINLY BE MY

PLEASURE TO RECEIVE YOU SHOULD SUCH A VISIT BE IN PROSPECT.

SOUTHERN AFRICA WAS THE LAST FRONTIER IN THE EPIC STRUGGLE

FOR THE LIBERATION OF THE AFRICAN PEOPLE FROM THE BRUTAL

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PAGE 03       HARARE 01955 01 OF 02 221832Z

SCOURGES OF COLONIALISM, DISPOSSESSION AND MARGINALISATION.

IT STILL BEARS THE SCARS OF THAT STRUGGLE, AND IN MANY WAYS

IT STILL HAS TO RESOLVE MANY UNFINISHED ASPECTS OF THAT

STRUGGLE, ESPECIALLY IN THE REALM OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC JUSTICE

FOR ALL ITS PEOPLE. BUT THERE IS STIFF RESISTANCE, BOTH

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL, ESPECIALLY ON SUCH ISSUES AS LAND

REFORM IN ZIMBABWE. WE HAVE WITNESSED A VIGOROUS

DELIBERATE OBFUSCATION OF THIS STRUGGLE FOR EQUITY FROM

CERTAIN QUARTERS ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE THROUGH THE

INTRODUCTION OF EXTRANEOUS ISSUES.

THOSE OPPOSED TO THE STRUGGLE HAVE RESORTED TO A CAMPAIGN

OF DISTORTION OF THE FACTS ON THE LAND REFORM PROGRAMME IN

ZIMBABWE, AND ARE BUSY CARICATURING OUR LEADERS WHO ARE

CHAMPIONING THAT CAUSE. UNFORTUNATELY, THESE DEMONISED

IMAGES OF OUR LEADERS, WHEN DISSEMINATED THROUGH SUCH A

POWERFUL CHANNEL AS THE GLOBAL MEDIA, HAVE TREMENDOUS

INFLUENCE IN THE SHAPING OF OPINIONS AT ALL LEVELS. TODAY,

ZIMBABWE FINDS ITSELF A SUBJECT OF SUCH MANIPULATION, WHERE

THE VICTIM IS TURNED INTO THE VILLAIN.

DURING THE LIBERATION STRUGGLE, PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE,

WHO LED THE FORCES THAT BROUGHT FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY AND THE

RULE OF LAW TO OUR COUNTRY AFTER YEARS OF ILLEGALITY AND

RACIST OPPRESSION, WAS THE TARGET OF SUCH A VICIOUS RACIST

SMEAR CAMPAIGN BY THE ADVERSARIES OF FREEDOM AND

INDEPENDENCE. THOSE SAME NEGATIVE FORCES HAVE NEVER

FORGIVEN HIM FOR HIS ROLE IN THE DEMISE OF THEIR HEGEMONY

AND HAVE NOW REGROUPED AND SEIZED ON HIS EFFORTS TO EFFECT

A FAIR AND JUST LAND REFORM TO ORCHESTRATE A VICIOUS AND

MALICIOUS CHARACTER ASSASSINATION IN AN ATTEMPT TO

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 04       HARARE 01955 01 OF 02 221832Z

FRUSTRATE HIS EFFORTS TO CORRECT, ONCE AND FOR ALL, THE

GROTESQUE AND SKEWED LAND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM IN THIS

COUNTRY, WHERE ONE PERCENT OF THE POPULATION (THE WHITE

COMMUNITY) OWNS 70% OF THE ARABLE LAND. PERCEPTIONS ARE

BEING CREATED THAT PRESIDENT MUGABE, WHOSE MANDATE THE

PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE HAVE OVERWHELMINGLY RENEWED IN

SUCCESSIVE ELECTIONS HELD IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE

CONSTITUTION OF OUR COUNTRY AND ACKNOWLEDGED TO BE FREE AND

FAIR BY ALL, IS “REFUSING TO GO”. THE FACT THAT PRESIDENT

MUGABE IS SERVING A TERM OF OFFICE TO WHICH THE PEOPLE OF

ZIMBABWE ELECTED HIM, AND THAT THE SAME PEOPLE WILL, NEXT

YEAR, EXERCISE THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO ELECT A

PRESIDENT OF THEIR CHOICE IS BEING CYNICALLY IGNORED.

IT IS IN THE LIGHT OF THESE OBSERVATIONS THAT WE REGRETTED

THE FACT THAT COMMENTS ATTRIBUTED TO YOU, MR. SECRETARY,

DURING YOUR RECENT VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA APPEARED NOT TO BE

ENRICHED WITH THIS ZIMBABWEAN PERSPECTIVE. IT OCCURS TO ME

NOW THAT PERHAPS WE COULD HAVE AVOIDED THE SENSE OF SHOCKED

SURPRISE THAT WAS EXPERIENCED HERE AND ELSEWHERE WHEN WE,

AS THE ELECTED GOVERNMENT IN THIS COUNTRY, HEARD THOSE

COMMENTS, HAD WE SOUGHT AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH

THE INFORMATION ON THE REALITIES AND ASPIRATIONS OF

ZIMBABWE AND ITS PEOPLE AS WE UNDERSTAND IT, PRIOR TO YOUR

VISIT TO THE REGION, ESPECIALLY AS WE WERE AWARE THAT YOU

HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO INCLUDE ZIMBABWE IN YOUR ITINERARY

THIS TIME ROUND. SINCE ZIMBABWE IS COMMITTED TO

MAINTAINING A CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE WITH YOUR COUNTRY, WE

HAVE NOT ALLOWED OUR DISAPPOINTMENT WITH THOSE COMMENTS TO

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 05       HARARE 01955 01 OF 02 221832Z

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ9949

PAGE 01       HARARE 01955 02 OF 02 221838Z

ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00   COR-01   NP-00   AMAD-00 ACQ-00   CIAE-00 CPR-02

DODE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00   EUR-00   VC-00   H-01     TEDE-00

INR-00   L-00     VCE-00   AC-01   NSAE-00 OMB-01   PA-00

PM-00   PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SP-00   SSC-01   SSO-00

SS-00   TRSE-00 T-00     USIE-00 R-00     PMB-00   DSCC-00

DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00 SAS-00     /009W

——————FC8129 221839Z /38

O 191504Z JUN 01

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9138

INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 001955

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (CLASS BY ADDEED ON SECT 01)

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/11

TAGS: PREL OPDC ZI

SUBJECT: LETTER FROM ZIMBABWEAN FM MUDENGE TO SECRETARY

POWELL

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02       HARARE 01955 02 OF 02 221838Z

AFFECT OUR BILATERAL RELATIONS AND I AM, THEREFORE, AT YOUR

DISPOSAL FOR AN EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND VIEWS ON THIS

AND OTHER TOPICS IN KEEPING WITH THE LONG-STANDING GOOD

RELATIONS BETWEEN ZIMBABWE AND THE UNITED STATES.

PLEASE ACCEPT, MR. SECRETARY, THE ASSURANCES OF MY HIGHEST

CONSIDERATION.

/S/

I.S.G. MUDENGE

MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE

COMMENT

——-

¶3. (C) THE SUBSTANCE OF FM MUDENGE’S LETTER — PORTRAYING

ZIMBABWE AS A VICTIM OF EXTERNAL PREDATORS — IS CONSISTENT

WITH THE REFRAIN THAT WE REGULARLY HEAR FROM SENIOR

ZIMBABWEAN OFFICIALS. THAT SAID, HOWEVER, WE CONSIDER IT A

POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT THAT MUDENGE HAS DECIDED TO REACH OUT

TO SECRETARY POWELL. TAKEN TOGETHER, THE MUDENGE LETTER,

PRESIDENT MUGABE’S RECENT WARM MESSAGE OF CONGRATULATIONS

TO BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR ON HIS ELECTION

VICTORY, AND INDICATIONS THAT HARARE MIGHT HAVE MOVED

TOWARD ACCEPTING AN “INVESTIGATORY” MISSION OF THE

COMMONWEALTH MINISTERIAL ACTION GROUP (CMAG), SUGGEST THAT

THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE MIGHT BE CHANGING TACTICS

SLIGHTLY IN ITS INTERACTIONS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL

COMMUNITY. WE ARE NOT CONVINCED, HOWEVER, THAT THE

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 03       HARARE 01955 02 OF 02 221838Z

GOVERNMENT IS PREPARED TO MOVE BEYOND APPEARANCES AND LIP

SERVICE TO ADDRESS GENUINELY THE CRITICAL ISSUES OF

CONCERN TO ZIMBABWE’S NEIGHBORS AND THE BROADER

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. WE WOULD RECOMMEND A RESPONSE

FROM SECRETARY POWELL THAT WELCOMES MUDENGE’S INTEREST IN

MAINTAINING AN OPEN DIALOGUE BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES, BUT

WHICH EMPHASIZES OUR SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT INCREASING

LAWLESSNESS AND RAPID ECONOMIC DECLINE. SUCH A RESPONSE

MIGHT EMPHASIZE THAT THE USG EXPECTS THE UPCOMING

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO BE FREE AND FAIR, LAY OUT

PRECISELY WHAT WE MEAN BY THAT, AND MAKE CLEAR WHAT THE

CONSEQUENCES WILL BE FOR OUR BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP IF

THOSE STANDARDS ARE NOT ADHERED TO.

HOOKS

CONFIDENTIAL

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