Tsvangirai said Makoni was a coward

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai told an officer of the British High Commission that Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front member Simba Makoni was a coward when he accepted the post of Minister of Finance.

Tsvangirai said if Makoni thought that this was a way to advance his political career, he was wrong.

Tsvangirai was disappointed because at one point it had appeared probable that Makoni might join the MDC, adding to the new party’s intellectual heft and prestige.

Mugabe on the other hand had scored a major political victory because by appointing Makoni to such a senior post this showed that he was a forgiving person who was lifting the “little man” that once insulted him. But Makoni would be a “made man” dependent on the one who had made him- Mugabe.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 00HARARE4039, WILL NEW FINANCE MINISTER BE ABLE TO STAND UP

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

211002Z Jul 00

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FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6665

INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

DEPTTREAS WASHDC

AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 

AMEMBASSY GABORONE 

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE 

AMEMBASSY LONDON 

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA 

AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 

AMEMBASSY MASERU 

AMEMBASSY MBABANE 

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 

AMEMBASSY PARIS 

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 

USDOC WASHDC

USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 

                       CONFIDENTIAL   

PAGE 02       HARARE 04039 01 OF 03 210957Z 

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 004039 

SIPDIS 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 

LONDON FOR PFLAUMER 

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 

USDOC FOR DHENKE-ROGERS 

PASS USAID FOR R. MCALL AND AFR/SA T. PARK 

PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2010 

TAGS: PGOV PINR ECON ZI

SUBJECT: WILL NEW FINANCE MINISTER BE ABLE TO STAND UP 

TO MUGABE? 

REF: HARARE 3967 

CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR 

REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 

¶1. (C) SUMMARY: LESS THAN A WEEK AFTER THE APPOINTMENT 

WAS ANNOUNCED, ALL EYES ARE ON FINANCE MINISTER SIMBA 

MAKONI, A TALENTED TECHNOCRAT WHO MANY BELIEVE IS THE 

CABINET'S MOST IMPORTANT MINISTER, WHILE INDUSTRY AND 

INTERNATIONAL TRADE MINISTER NKOSANA MOYO ARGUABLY HAS 

                       CONFIDENTIAL 

PAGE 03        HARARE 04039 01 OF 03 210957Z 

THE NUMBER TWO SPOT. THE CHOICE OF MAKONI SURPRISED 

MANY, GIVEN THE ROCKY RELATIONSHIP HE HAS HAD WITH THE 

PRESIDENT AND RECENT INDICATIONS THAT MACON MIGHT JOIN 

THE OPPOSITION MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC).  WE 

THINK THAT THE IDEOLOGICALLY UNRECONSTRUCTED MUGABE WILL 

NOT YIELD ANY POWER AND WILL BE UNABLE TO RESIST 

MEDDLING IN MAKONI'S BRIEF. IF THAT TURNS OUT TO BE THE 

CASE, MAKONI MAY NOT LAST LONG IN THE JOB AND HIS MOST 

POWERFUL WEAPON WOULD BE A CRITICALLY WORDED RESIGNATION 

LETTER. MUGABE MAY ATTEMPT TO CO-OPT HIS NEW FINANCE 

MINISTER BY ELEVATING HIM TO ZANU-PF'S POLITBURO, A MOVE 

THAT SURELY WILL BE RESISTED BY INSIDERS LIKE EMMERSON 

MNANGAGWA AND SYDNEY SEKERAMAYI. ZANU-PF OFFICIALS ARE 

IN CAMPAIGN MODE FOR THE 2002 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, AND 

IT IS NOT REALISTIC TO EXPECT ENLIGHTENED BEHAVIOR FROM 

THEM. THE BEST THAT CAN BE SAID IS THAT MAKONI IS 

LIKELY TO FIGHT HARD TO PUT IN PLACE SOUND ECONOMIC 

POLICIES, BUT WILL ONLY WIN SOME OF THEM. END SUMMARY. 

¶2. (C) WHEN PRESIDENT MUGABE APPOINTED HIS NEW CABINET, 

IT WAS WIDELY AGREED THAT THE BEST NEWS WAS THE 

APPOINTMENT OF DR. SIMBARASHE "SIMBA" HERBERT STANLEY 

MAKONI AS MINISTER OF FINANCE. THE CHOICE WAS SOMETHING 

OF A SURPRISE, GIVEN PAST TENSIONS BETWEEN THE TWO MEN. 

ONCE A RISING STAR IN CABINET AS ENERGY MINISTER, 

MAKONI, LATER AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE STATE-OWNED 

NEWSPAPER CORPORATION, ANGERED MUGABE AFTER TRYING TO 

SUSPEND "SUNDAY MAIL" EDITOR CHARLES CHIKEREMA, A ZANU- 

PF HEAVYWEIGHT. THE ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT ARRANGED FOR 

POLITICALLY CENTRIST MAKONI TO BE PUSHED OUT OF HIS 

POSITION AS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN 

                       CONFIDENTIAL 

PAGE 04       HARARE 04039 01 OF 03 210957Z 

DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, A POSITION HE HELD FROM 1984 TO 

¶1993. MAKONI IS SEEN AS THE MOST IMPORTANT MINISTER IN 

THE NEW CABINET, AND, LESS THAN A WEEK AFTER MAKONI'S 

APPOINTMENT, ALL EYES ARE ON HIM. MINISTER OF INDUSTRY 

AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE NKOSANA MOYO, WHO UNTIL LAST 

WEEK DID NOT HAVE A ZANU-PF PARTY CARD, IS IN THE SAME 

LEAGUE AND HAS RECEIVED ALMOST AS MUCH ATTENTION. 

¶3. (C) THERE ARE TWO STORIES CIRCULATING IN HARARE ON 

THE APPOINTMENT OF THE CAPABLE SIMBA MAKONI AS MINISTER 

OF FINANCE. THE FIRST IS THAT PRESIDENT MUGABE ASKED 

VICE PRESIDENT JOSEPH MSIKA TO INFORM MAKONI OF HIS 

DECISION. WHEN THE VICE PRESIDENT DID SO, THE MINISTER 

DESIGNATE ASKED FOR AN AUDIENCE WITH MUGABE TO DISCUSS 

HOW HE WOULD HANDLE THE PORTFOLIO. MSIKA TOOK THE 

MESSAGE BACK, AND IN TYPICAL MUGABE FASHION NO AUDIENCE 

TOOK PLACE AND THE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE. IN THE 

SECOND VERSION, MAKONI ACTUALLY MET WITH MUGABE FOR 

THREE HOURS DURING WHICH TIME HE SPELLED OUT THE 

CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH HE WOULD ACCEPT THE APPOINTMENT. 

DEPENDING ON WHICH VERSION YOU BELIEVE, EITHER MUGABE OR 

MAKONI HAS ALREADY WON THE FIRST OF WHAT ARE LIKELY TO 

BE MANY BATTLES. 

                       CONFIDENTIAL 

                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ4494 

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P 211002Z JUL 00 

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6666 

INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 

DEPTTREAS WASHDC 

AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 

AMEMBASSY GABORONE 

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE 

AMEMBASSY LONDON 

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA 

AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 

AMEMBASSY MASERU 

AMEMBASSY MBABANE 

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 

AMEMBASSY PARIS 

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 

USDOC WASHDC 

USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 

                       CONFIDENTIAL 

PAGE 02       HARARE 04039 02 OF 03 210957Z 

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK 

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 03 HARARE 004039 

SIPDIS 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 

LONDON FOR PFLAUMER 

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 

USDOC FOR DHENKE-ROGERS 

PASS USAID FOR R. MCALL AND AFR/SA T. PARK 

PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2010 

TAGS: PGOV PINR ECON ZI

SUBJECT: WILL NEW FINANCE MINISTER BE ABLE TO STAND UP 

TO MUGABE? 

¶4. (C) SOME CRITICS, FOR EXAMPLE MDC PRESIDENT MORGAN 

TSVANGIRAI, BELIEVE THAT MAKONI'S ACCEPTANCE OF THE 

SIPDIS 

APPOINTMENT WAS IN ITSELF A CAPITULATION TO MUGABE. IT 

CAUGHT THE OPPOSITION LEADER BY SURPRISE BECAUSE AT ONE 

POINT IT APPEARED PROBABLE THAT MAKONI MIGHT JOIN THE 

MDC, ADDING TO THE NEW PARTY'S INTELLECTUAL HEFT AND 

PRESTIGE. TSVANGIRAI TOLD AN OFFICER OF THE BRITISH 

HIGH COMMISSION HERE THAT HE THOUGHT MAKONI WAS A 

"COWARD," AND THAT IF HE THOUGHT THAT WAS THE WAY TO 

ADVANCE HIS POLITICAL CAREER, HE WAS WRONG. 

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PAGE 03       HARARE 04039 02 OF 03 210957Z 

NEVERTHELESS, MAKONI HAS A REPUTATION FOR INDEPENDENT 

THINKING, AND IF MUGABE DOES WISH TO CO-OPT HIM, 

ELEVATING HIM TO THE POLITBURO OF ZANU-PF IS PROBABLY 

THE BEST WAY TO DO SO. THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY LIKELY 

WILL APPLAUD THE MOVE, AS IT WILL GIVE MAKONI THE 

POLITICAL CLOUT TO PURSUE HIS POLICIES. SIMILARLY, IT 

MAY SHOW THE POPULATION THAT MUGABE IS FORGIVING, IN THE 

TRADITION OF AFRICAN CHIEFS, OF A "LITTLE MAN" WHO ONCE 

INSULTED HIM. FINALLY, MAKONI WOULD BE A "MADE MAN," 

DEPENDENT ON THE ONE WHO MADE HIM -- MUGABE. 

¶5. (C) TSVANGIRAI'S PERSONAL DISAPPOINTMENT 

NOTWITHSTANDING, MANY OBSERVERS HERE SEE MAKONI AND MOYO 

OPERATING FROM A POSITION OF STRENGTH. THEY ARGUE THAT 

IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THE TWO MEN WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED 

THEIR POSITIONS IF IT WAS CLEAR FROM THE OUTSET THAT 

THEIR HANDS WOULD BE COMPLETELY TIED. FURTHERMORE, IF 

THE PRESIDENT HAD SIMPLY WANTED A ZANU-PF PARTY HACK, HE 

WOULD HAVE APPOINTED ONE. IN FACT, WE UNDERSTAND THE 

PRESIDENT MADE THE APPOINTMENT AT THE PRODDING OF SOME 

MEMBERS OF HIS ENTOURAGE, WHO SEE ADDRESSING THE 

COUNTRY'S ECONOMIC ILLS AS THE KEY TO ZANU-PF'S (AS WELL 

AS THEIR) OWN SURVIVAL. THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF IS 

PROBABLY NOT CONVINCED THAT THE ECONOMY IS THE MOST 

PRESSING ISSUE ON HIS AGENDA, BUT HE LIKES TO SURPRISE 

AND CHALLENGE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM, AND THUS AGREED TO 

MAKE THE APPOINTMENT. IF THE TWO MINISTERS DO FIND 

THEMSELVES STYMIED BY MUGABE, THEIR MOST POWERFUL WEAPON 

AT THE MOMENT WOULD BE A CRITICALLY WORDED LETTER OF 

RESIGNATION, SHOULD PRESIDENTIAL INTERFERENCE IN THEIR 

PORTFOLIO MAKE THEIR POSITION UNTENABLE. 

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PAGE 04       HARARE 04039 02 OF 03 210957Z 

¶6. (C) EVEN IF MUGABE DOES NOT ACT DIRECTLY TO THWART 

MAKONI, THE NEW FINANCE MINISTER STILL FACES A DIFFICULT 

TASK. WHILE THE OUTCOME OF THE JUNE 24-25 PARLIAMENTARY 

ELECTION WAS THE BEST POSSIBLE FOR MINIMIZING THE 

POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD VIOLENCE, AND THE NATURE OF THE 

DOMESTIC DEBATE IS SHIFTING TOWARD ECONOMICS, CURRENT 

CONDITIONS MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO REACH DECISIONS ON THE 

ECONOMY. WHILE MAKONI IS AN ABLE TECHNOCRAT, HE LACKS 

THE POLITICAL BASE OR CLOUT TO ENFORCE THE TOUGH 

ECONOMIC DECISIONS THAT HAVE TO BE MADE. HE ENJOYS THE 

SUPPORT AND RESPECT OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, BUT 

GETTING TOO CLOSE TO IT WOULD RAISE THE PRESIDENT'S 

SUSPICIONS, AS MUGABE PERCEIVES IT AS THE ENEMY. IN 

ADDITION, THE BOSSY AND IDEOLOGICALLY UNRECONSTRUCTED 

MUGABE MAY FIND IT DIFFICULT TO RESIST MEDDLING WITH 

MAKONI'S PORTFOLIO. MEMBERS OF THE ZANU-PF INNER 

CIRCLE, SUCH AS EMMERSON MNANGAGWA AND SYDNEY 

SEKERAMAYI, WOULD SEE MAKONI'S SUDDEN RISE INTO THE 

POLITBURO AS A THREAT TO THEIR INTERESTS AND WOULD DO 

EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO BLOCK IT. 

¶7. (C) FURTHERMORE, ZIMBABWE'S ECONOMIC RECOVERY 

DEPENDS ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS OUTSIDE MAKONI'S CONTROL, 

                       CONFIDENTIAL 

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                 ------------------70E203 210958Z /38 

P 211002Z JUL 00 

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6667 

INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 

DEPTTREAS WASHDC 

AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 

AMEMBASSY GABORONE 

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE 

AMEMBASSY LONDON 

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA 

AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 

AMEMBASSY MASERU 

AMEMBASSY MBABANE 

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 

AMEMBASSY PARIS 

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 

USDOC WASHDC 

USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 

                       CONFIDENTIAL 

PAGE 02       HARARE 04039 03 OF 03 210958Z 

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK 

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 03 OF 03 HARARE 004039 

SIPDIS 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 

LONDON FOR PFLAUMER 

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 

USDOC FOR DHENKE-ROGERS 

PASS USAID FOR R. MCALL AND AFR/SA T. PARK 

PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2010 

TAGS: PGOV PINR ECON ZI

SUBJECT: WILL NEW FINANCE MINISTER BE ABLE TO STAND UP 

TO MUGABE? 

PRIMARILY THE LAND ISSUE, WHICH MUST BE RESOLVED IF 

ZIMBABWE IS TO WIN THE CONFIDENCE OF INVESTORS AND THE 

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL ORGANIZATIONS. ZANU-PF 

OFFICIALS ARE IN CAMPAIGN MODE FOR THE 2002 PRESIDENTIAL 

ELECTION AND ARE UNLIKELY TO BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY THAN 

THEY HAVE SO FAR. 

¶8. (C) THE PRESIDENT WILL ULTIMATELY CALL THE SHOTS ON 

THE PORTFOLIOS OF BOTH MAKONI AND MOYO. WE DOUBT THAT 

THEY WILL LAST IN OFFICE, ONCE THEY REALIZE THEY ARE 

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PAGE 03       HARARE 04039 03 OF 03 210958Z 

LITTLE MORE THAN WINDOW DRESSING. THEY HAVE THE 

OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEROES, UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN 

COMPLETELY BOUGHT OFF. THE BEST THAT CAN BE SAID IS 

THAT MAKONI IS LIKELY TO FIGHT HARD TO PUT IN PLACE 

SOUND POLICIES BUT WILL ONLY WIN SOME OF THEM. 

IRVING 

                       CONFIDENTIAL 

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