Categories: Stories

The Arthur Mutambara Wikileaks cables

Arthur Mutambara was a firebrand student leader at the University of Zimbabwe. He went on to the United Kingdom to do his PhD and worked for various United States firms and organisations before coming to South Africa where he started his own company. It was while in South Africa that he was approached to lead the pro-senate faction of the Movement for Democratic Change as it was known at the time. Mutambara, it has transpired, was not the first, second, or even third choice. After a dismal performance in the 2008 elections Mutambara became deputy Prime Minister virtually because he was one of the principals to the Global Political Agreement. But he was soon kicked out of the leadership of the party. There are 114 cables on him. Here they are:

114-Tsvangirai and Mutambara agreed to handle sanctions personally

113-Ambassador said Mutambara was a politician without platform or principles

112-Tsvangirai said Gono was the lesser of two evils

111-Why no one wants elections- US ambassador says

110-Mutambara wont win current 10 seats in next elections

109-Tsvangirai and Mutambara rejected Truth Commission

108-Biti said Gono was a thief

107-ZANU-PF’s outstanding issues

106-Khupe fails to help farmer

105-MDC had no plan B

104-Mutambara queried why Mugabe was refusing to swear in Bennett

103-Tsvangirai said he was working amicably with Mugabe and Mutambara

102-Mutambara accused Charamba of foot dragging on media commission

101-US ambassador said it was in US interest to support MDC

100-Gorden Moyo says without Mugabe there would be chaos

99-Tsvangirai frustrated but says he cannot leave inclusive government

98-Zimbabwe riskiest investment destination?

97-Mutambara a loose cannon

96-MDC was prepared to accommodate Gono to get rid of Tomana

95-Chinotimba fails to derail stakeholders meeting

94-Mutambara says Mugabe gave Tsvangirai crumbs

93-Mutambara said look East policy was over

92-US ambassador says Grace seems to have aged

91-Mai Mujuru the only ZANU-PF heavyweight sharing dais with Tsvangirai

90-Mutambara suspends six members

89-Khupe overshadowed by Mutambara

88-Mtetwa says GPA will not work as long as Tomana is AG

87-Mugabe denies he has anything against Bennett

86-Farm invasions decrease

85-Mutambara visit fails to stop invasions

84-Two faces of ZANU-PF

83-Mzembi says Mugabe will not support Mnangagwa or Mujuru to succeed him

82-Mai Mujuru sides with MDC to oppose farm invasions

81-Mutambara says ask not what other nations can do for Zimbabwe

80-Rare praise for Mutambara

79-Rare week in Harare

78-Mugabe, Tsvangirai reward loyalty for cabinet picks

77-Khupe told US ambassador Mugabe was crazy

76-Mugabe outmanoeuvred MDC to increase size of cabinet

75-Tsvangirai challenges ZANU-PF actions

74-Mutambara says all sceptics must now shut up

73-Inclusive government the only game in town

72-Chamisa says Biti wanted to become Deputy Prime Minister

71-Mutambara piffed West not willing to oust Mugabe by military force

70-Parties agree to Amendment 19

69-Chamisa and Biti did not want GPA

68-Industry leaders accuse Gono of trying to buy favours to silence them

67-Mugabe and Tsvangirai in a quandary over ministerial posts

66-Grace wanted to marginalise Tsvangirai

65-Welshman Ncube said Mutambara had a fragile ego

64-Mugabe, Mutambara biggest winners in GPA

63-Tsvangirai was confident he would be driver of policy in GNU

62-Jonathan Moyo holds balance of power

61-Former MDC MP says Mutambara is mentally off

60-Mutambara says we are smarter than the Australians and Americans

59-Mutambara MPs were ready to ditch candidate a week before elections

58-Tsvangirai said Mbeki, Mugabe and Mutambara ganged up against him

57-Has MDC been outmanoeuvred by ZANU-PF again?

56-Tsvangirai thought he could control Mutambara

55-US asked if MDC was going to be swallowed by ZANU-PF like ZAPU

54-Mujuru found Tsvangirai more acceptable than Mnangagwa

53-US pushed for military intervention in Zimbabwe

52-Frazer said Mugabe could be pursued if violence continued

51-Frazer says Mugabe is testing us all

50-ZANU-PF goes after MDC legislators

49-Editor arrested over Mutambara article

48-Mutambara and Tsvangirai enter into pact

47-Trevor Ncube says the MDC is unstrategic and arrogant

46-Tsvangirai prepared to work with Mutambara not Makoni

45-Mutambara seeks coalition with Tsvangirai

44-Mutambara clobbered

43-Manicaland a hotbed of opposition to Mugabe

42-Mutambara jumps ship

41-Mujuru promised to support Tsvangirai if Mugabe stole election

40-MDC reunification collapses

39-MDC factions agreed to field Tsvangirai as president

38-Biti says Mbeki is full of b… s…

37-Trevor Ncube says the MDC is a “tired and contaminated brand”

36-Behind the scenes in the run-up to the 2008 elections

35-Ten Mutambara MPs were ready to defect- Bennett

34-MDC promised to present a united front

33-Tsvangirai wanted MDC to come up with a unified slate of candidates

32-Mutambara faction nothing more than a splinter

31-Mbeki wanted an election that would not be disputed

30-Trevor Ncube thoroughly disgusted with MDC

29-Dell said Mutambara not thinking about real issues

28-Dell promised to assist opposition trip to US

27-Why MDC unity talks broke down

26-Masamvu double-cross

25-Mutambara told Dell that Tsvangirai would be sole MDC candidate

24-Mutambara says Mugabe has betrayed the liberation struggle

23-US embassy monitors government actions during funeral of MDC activist

22-Chikane said Mugabe was a madman

21-Kwinje and Holland released

20-EU banks on SADC to put pressure on Zimbabwe

19-Mutambara arrested for trying to leave the country

18-Dell walks out on Mumbengegwi

17-Mutambara says opposition is united to drive out Mugabe

16-Funeral of MDC activist postponed because leaders are in hospital

15-Police brutally disrupt prayer meeting

14-Chiredzi South by-election expected to bolster Mnangagwa

13-Mutambara said Mugabe could be beaten a year before the elections

12-Mutambara says he has presidential ambitions but not now

11-Tsvangirai says Mutambara is just a figurehead

10-Mutambara and Tsvangirai were for reunification but …..

9-Pius Ncube preferred Mutambara to Tsvangirai

8-Mutambara was prepared to become Tsvangirai’s deputy

7-Dell told Mutambara to go for Mugabe and not Tsvangirai in the US

6-Mutambara faction asks for help from US

5-Mutambara stumbles at first hurdle

4-Mutambara believed Zimbabwe could be the Singapore of Africa

3-Mutambara a distant uncle of Zvobgo!

2-Mutambara says Tsvangirai has become a “little Mugabe”

1-Mutambara announces intention to contest MDC presidency

(37 VIEWS)

This post was last modified on %s = human-readable time difference 7:08 pm

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

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