The Arthur Mutambara faction of the Movement for Democratic Change brushed off its loss in the Budiriro by-elections but went ahead to ask for assistance from the United States to strengthen its institutions.
Party secretary general Welshman Ncube and his deputy Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga claimed that the Morgan Tsvangirai faction had taken all their equipment so they wanted computers and office supplies and publicity training.
According to the United States officials, the Tsvangirai faction had told them that the Mutambara faction had taken the bulk of the equipment.
Ncube also asked for assistance with voter education but said the party wanted to conduct its own voter awareness and not rely on non-governmental organisations that were also receiving assistance from the United States government.
Ncube and Misihairabwi also asked for two plane tickets to the United States for unnamed officials who were to accompany party president Mutambara and legislator David Coltart.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 06HARARE698, FLAGGING PRO-SENATE MDC FACTION WRITES OFF
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|
Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO6803
RR RUEHMR
DE RUEHSB #0698/01 1641126
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 131126Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0196
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 1234
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 1070
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 1240
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0035
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0498
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 0864
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 1291
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 3663
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1063
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 1702
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUFGNOA/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1449
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000698
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR B. NEULING
SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2015
SUBJECT: FLAGGING PRO-SENATE MDC FACTION WRITES OFF
ELECTORAL LOSS, REQUESTS USG HELP
REF: REFTEL: HARARE 610
Classified By: Charge d’Affaires, a.i., Eric T. Schultz under Section 1
.4 b/d
——-
Summary
——-
¶1. (C) MDC pro-Senate faction leaders on June 6 outlined
their plans for the immediate future to emboffs, especially
including outreach to the Embassy and a possible trip to the
United States by the faction’s president. Pro-Senate faction
Secretary General Welshman Ncube and deputy Secretary General
SIPDIS
Priscilla Musihairambwi-Mushonga also asked for US Government
assistance. Deputy Treasurer Mariam Mushayi dismissed the
faction’s recent electoral loss (reftel) and described plans
to contest rural council elections scheduled for August.
Vice President Gibson Sibanda, the senior faction leader
present, appeared to be only a shadow of his former self.
End Summary.
——————————————— —
Faction Seeks USG Assistance, Broaches U.S. Trip
——————————————— —
¶2. (C) Ncube and Musihairambwi-Mushonga in a meeting with
USAID Country Director and democracy and governance officer
on June 6 stressed the faction’s interest in refurbishing
relations with the USG. At an Embassy-sponsored reception
for the pro-Senate faction later that night, Ncube and
Musihairambwi-Mushonga were uncharacteristically jovial with
Embassy staff. Their congenial posture contrasts with
complaints from pro-Senate faction leaders to Embassy
personnel and to political analysts over the past few months
that the USG had favored the anti-senate faction at their
exclusion.
¶3. (C) Ncube and Musihairambwi-Mushonga in their meeting
with USAID personnel requested US assistance to strengthen
the pro-Senate faction’s institutions. Alleging that the
anti-Senate faction had taken all of their equipment, they
requested computers and office supplies in addition to
publicity training. (N.B. The anti-Senate faction told us
months ago that Ncube and his supporters had taken the bulk
of the equipment.) Ncube also asked for assistance with
voter education and noted that they were prepared to conduct
their own voter awareness campaign when the USAID officials
asked about their level of coordination with existing
electoral NGOs.
¶4. (C) The pro-Senate leaders also stated that faction
president Arthur Mutambara and pro-Senate-leaning MP David
Coltart were planning a trip to the US beginning on July 7
and requested plane tickets for two unnamed additional
participants (N.B. Presumably Ncube and
Musihairambwi-Mushonga).
——————————————— ———–
Writing Off Budiriro Loss, Looking Toward Rural Election
——————————————— ———–
¶5. (C) At the Embassy-sponsored reception for the pro-Senate
faction also on June 6, Deputy Treasurer Mushayi dismissed
the faction’s performance in the Budiriro parliamentary
by-election last month where their candidate garnered only 4
percent of the vote. Mushayi said the faction never expected
to win in the Tsvangirai stronghold. Mushayi, who organized
logistics for the campaign, said that the faction merely
intended to test the waters in the Harare high-density suburb
HARARE 00000698 002 OF 002
and assess the faction’s strengths and weaknesses.
¶6. (C) The faction would contest the rural council elections
scheduled for August, according to Mushayi. She said the
faction had developed a rural strategy that had the
leadership conducting rallies and meetings in supporter’s
homes. Nkayi MP Abednico Bhebhe added that he recently held
rallies in all 26 wards of his rural constituency. Although
not specifically aimed toward the upcoming elections, Bhebhe
noted that the rallies were an important grassroots-building
exercise for the faction. Both Mushayi and Bhebhe said that
good rains had produced an ample harvest that would lessen
the rural areas’ dependency on government and free them for
more independent political action.
————————
Sibanda on the Sidelines
————————
¶7. (C) Sibanda, the faction’s senior-most leader at the
event, made a few disjointed remarks wishing well Embassy
staffers who were leaving this summer, but otherwise stayed
on the discussion’s sidelines. Sibanda spoke at length to
econoff about his family situation and bemoaned the passing
of his wife, Ntombizodwa, on Christmas Eve 2003. (N.B.
Numerous contacts have commented on Sibanda’s physical and
mental deterioration since his wife’s passing. Indeed, many
in the anti-Senate camp attribute Sibanda’s presence in the
other faction to this decline.)
——-
Comment
——-
¶8. (C) The pro-senate faction is unlikely to do
significantly better in rural council elections than it did
in Budiriro. The faction has signally failed to develop any
grass roots support, especially in comparison with the
anti-Senate faction, which has attracted thousands of
supporters to Morgan Tsvangiari,s recent series of rallies.
The pro-Senate faction has also begun to see increasing
desertions and many local commentators are openly speculating
on its shelf life. This has to come as a disappointment to
ZANU-PF, which had hoped to use the pro-Senate faction to
diminish Tsvangirai,s stature. It also likely comes as a
disappointment to some of the factions more outspoken
external supporters, including the South Africans and some of
our European friends. We find it interesting but
unsurprising that at this juncture Ncube and his faction
would turn to the international community, including the
U.S., for financial support needed to keep their fading
prospects alive.
SCHULTZ
(17 VIEWS)
