The Insider

Some members of the Commercial Farmers Union said they did not believe that President Robert Mugabe’s goal was to destroy commercial farming but rather it was to intimidate them so that they would be so traumatised that they would never support an opposition party.

(83 VIEWS)

Former permanent secretary for Finance Nicholas Ncube, who was described by the United States embassy as a “dependable and solid embassy interlocutor for over a decade”, was a big disappointment when the embassy tried to solicit how his ministry was doing from him.

(257 VIEWS)

Former Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front Masvingo kingpin Eddison Zvobgo said President Robert Mugabe was more firmly in control of ZANU-PF after the December 2000 annual conference during which younger members of the party were elected to the politburo than he had ever been before.

(260 VIEWS)

Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo told selected diplomats on 21 December 2000 that land reform in Zimbabwe was irreversible so it was unhealthy to continue debating the issue.

(32 VIEWS)

Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo is reported to have promised United Nations Development Programme resident representative Victor Angelo that new invasions of commercial farms would stop, “demonstrators” on unlisted and foreign owned farms would be removed, and the war veterans’ violence and death threats would cease.

(49 VIEWS)

The United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Tom McDonald warned President Robert Mugabe that the United States could cut aid to Zimbabwe if the country did not repay a debt of US$210 000 to the United States Agency for International Development by the “drop-dead” date of 30 December, 2000.

(108 VIEWS)

Former Finance Minister Simba Makoni told United States diplomats including assistant secretary Susan Rice that President Robert Mugabe viewed everything through the optic of whether it threatened his tenure.

(62 VIEWS)

Although Finance Minister Simba Makoni had announced a 2001 budget that was going to have a deficit of 15 percent of gross domestic product, the United States embassy said his budget was probably the most honest and thoughtful that had been tabled in Zimbabwe’s 20 years of independence.

(138 VIEWS)

Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Jan Trojborg said President Robert Mugabe was “a man without a plan” but it was clear that the government could set one up quickly if the President gave his ministers the green light to do so.

(143 VIEWS)

Simba Makoni was one of the youngest cabinet ministers at independence. When he was posted to the Southern African Development Community as secretary-general, there was wide speculation that President Robert Mugabe was grooming him to eventually take over and was giving him the international exposure that he needed

(133 VIEWS)