Central Bank governor Gideon Gono discussed ways of getting President Robert Mugabe to retire with his wife Grace Mugabe because of his poor health, a cable released by Wikileaks says.
Gono, who was also reported to have presidential ambitions, said Mugabe was suffering from cancer and he had promised his doctor that he would step down after the 2008 elections.
Gono told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee that he had suggested to Mugabe that he retire from politics and concentrate on his memoirs but Mugabe was resistant because of uncertainty on who would succeed him.
“Trust had broken down between him and the Mujuru faction, there was corruption throughout the party, and there was no one he had confidence in as a successor,” the cable says. “Also, he viewed land reform as a legacy and wanted to ensure it would not be reversed.”
In his comment, the ambassador said Gono was close to Mugabe and was therefore a potentially useful interlocutor, both for information about Mugabe and as a conduit for “our message that assistance will come after reform”.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 08HARARE88, RESERVE BANK GOVERNOR GONO ON MUGABE, ELECTIONS,
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|
Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO6160
RR RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0088/01 0311329
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 311329Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2443
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 1752
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 1878
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0470
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1155
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1512
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 1934
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4363
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1005
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000088
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR S. HILL,
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2018
SUBJECT: RESERVE BANK GOVERNOR GONO ON MUGABE, ELECTIONS,
AND THE ECONOMY
REF: 07 HARARE 795
Classified By: Amb. James D. McGee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
——-
SUMMARY
——-
¶1. (C) In a meeting with the Ambassador at the Reserve Bank
on January 30, Governor Gideon Gono told the Ambassador that
President Robert Mugabe was old and not well. Nevertheless,
Mugabe was reluctant to step down because of internal
problems within ZANU-PF and lack of an identifiable
successor. On the upcoming elections, Gono said Zimbabwe
was prepared; he provided materials to the Ambassador
indicating the Reserve Bank had expended USD 4.7 million on
logistics and materials. Finally, Gono portrayed himself as
the patron saint of Zimbabwe’s vulnerable. Acknowledging
Zimbabwe’s dire economic predicament, he said his inability
to right the economy was a result of lack of will on the part
of his political masters; despite this, he was doing what he
could to alleviate suffering. END SUMMARY.
—————–
Mugabe Hanging In
—————–
¶2. (C) Gono had previously told us (Reftel) that Mugabe was
suffering from cancer and had promised his doctor he would
step down after the election. Gono was not as specific in
this meeting. He acknowledged Mugabe was ill and said he
would be less active after the election. He mentioned he was
seeing Mugabe’s wife, Grace, later in the day to discuss the
president.
¶3. (C) Gono told the Ambassador he had suggested to Mugabe
that he retire from politics and concentrate on his memoirs.
Mugabe was resistant because of uncertainty of who and what
would succeed him. Trust had broken down between him and the
Mujuru faction, there was corruption throughout the party,
and there was no one he had confidence in as a successor.
Also, he viewed land reform as a legacy and wanted to ensure
it would not be reversed.
¶4. (C) Still on the topic of succession, Gono said that the
architects of a Simba Makoni presidency (presumably Ibbo
Mandaza and Jonathan Moyo) lacked credibility. Any successor
to Mugabe, Gono added, would need the support of the
military. He implied that nobody as yet had this.
——————————-
Zimbabwe Prepared for Elections
——————————-
¶5. (C) Reflecting Mugabe and ZANU-PF’s hope of gaining
legitimacy through the upcoming elections, Gono told the
Ambassador he viewed as essential a credible election
process, including the run-up to the election and the
election itself. He presented the Ambassador with documents
indicating the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had formulated a
USD 4.7 million budget in October for materials and
logistics. He said the Reserve Bank had honored the budget;
the documents reflected payments to a Chinese company for
ballot boxes (67,000), to a Swiss company for indelible ink,
to a Botswanan company for tents, to Zimbabwean companies for
sundry items (including 65 vehicles), and to the GOZ for
delimitation and registration.
———————
The Political Economy
———————
HARARE 00000088 002 OF 002
¶6. (C) Gono stated that the political environment accounted
for 75 percent of Zimbabwe’s economic challenges. He was
blamed for Zimbabwe’s economic woes–such as inflation, lack
of drugs, lack of fertilizer, and lack of consumer goods–but
the political climate, which was “not pleasing,” prevented
him from taking effective measures. Even the MDC’s
Tsvangirai and Ncube, who consulted with him from time to
SIPDIS
time, understood his problems and wanted him to continue as
Governor. Recognizing what the mismanaged economy was doing
to the average Zimbabwean, Gono said he was acting as a “Red
Cross” for the most vulnerable.
¶7. (C) Casting himself as a voice of reason amidst what he
perceived as a sclerotic ZANU-PF and a jejune MDC, Gono said
he had prevailed on Mugabe not to sign legislation passed by
Parliament that would have had detrimental effects on
Zimbabwe. These included an NGO bill that would have made it
more difficult for NGOs to operate and a mining bill that
required onerous indigenization and would have scared off
investors. He also pointed out that he had publicly opposed
the June price control program.
¶8. (C) Gono said he had told Mugabe there needed to be an
economic reality check after the election. His (Gono’s)
priorities included normalization of international relations,
including a lifting of sanctions; an economic package that
would be attractive to international investors; a
finalization of the land reform issues; attention to mining
and international investment in that sector, and an attack on
official corruption, particularly in high places.
——-
COMMENT
——-
¶9. (C) Gono is close to Mugabe and therefore a potentially
useful interlocutor, both for information about Mugabe and as
a conduit for our message that assistance will come after
reform. Gono has had (and may still have) presidential
ambitions, and has been the object of attack, particularly
from within the Mujuru faction. He acknowledged that his
canceling of several previous meetings was because of fear of
being seen with the U.S. ambassador while intense ZANU-PF
infighting was occurring.
¶10. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: On the economy, Gono is obviously
correct that underlying problems are political. He is
disingenuous, however, in portraying himself as principled
and above the fray. He told the Ambassador he had argued for
a fair, non-racial land reform program, and he has stated on
other occasions that farm seizures should cease. But sources
within the Commercial Farmers Union have told us that
high-level Reserve Bank officials in the last few months have
claimed white-owned farms. And while Gono rails against
corruption, the Reserve Bank continues to selectively allow
ZANU-PF official access to forex at the official rate. END
COMMENT.
MCGEE
(86 VIEWS)
