The Morgan Tsvangirai Wikileaks cables-Part Nineteen

Former Movement for Democratic Change treasurer Roy Bennett, who was among the first to ditch party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, was at one time “over the moon” with Tsvangirai’s leadership after he started “cleaning house” by replacing Women’s Assembly leader Lucia Matibenga.

He said this in November 2007 as the party prepared to contest the 2008 polls and claimed that Matibenga was on the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front payroll.

Bennett also said that national organising secretary, Elias Mudzuri, now one of the party’s three vice-presidents, and deputy secretary general Tapiwa Mashakada were “compromised” and would soon be replaced.

None of them was replaced with all three joining Tsvangirai as government ministers when gthe MDC entered into an inclusive government with ZANU-PF.

Matibenga became Minister of the Public Service, Mudzuri Minister of Energy and Mashakada Minister of Economic planning.

Bennett rubbished claims in the media that Tsvangirai was dictatorial and disorganized saying these were largely from Trevor Ncube-owned newspapers, The Standard, The Independent and the Mail and Guardian in South Africa.

 He said Ncube was publishing “lies” about Tsvangirai and the MDC because he had a personal vendetta against Tsvangirai and was working with former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo.

Indeed Ncube had no kind words for Tsvangirai and the MDC.

He told United States embassy officials that he was thoroughly disgusted with the MDC.

Ncube said he initially supported Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC-and even gave them a financial contribution- but he now believed that the party had “poor quality leadership” and had tribalist and violent tendencies

He said that the MDC and its leadership had no vision for a future Zimbabwe and he had “nightmares” about the MDC taking over Zimbabwe.

Below are the first 380 of 725 Wikileaks cables on Tsvangirai.

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