US embassy says it has no evidence of Mugabe moving out any assets

The United States embassy said it had no evidence that President Robert Mugabe was moving personal or state assets out of the country but instead he had built a multi-million dollar mansion which was an indication that he intended to stay for some time.

“On the other hand, late last year, we were told by independent sources that furniture belonging to the President was seen boxed up at Harare International Airport en route to either Libya or Europe.

“This story falls in the category of rumour, however, and is not a firm indication of Mugabe intending to leave the country permanently,” the embassy said.

It said Mugabe was not even contemplating a government of national unity but was determined to win another term and was convinced that he could do it.

The embassy said Masvingo supremo Eddison Zvobgo had told embassy officials that the only thing that would induce Mugabe to leave office early would be for a number of prominent ZANU-PF stalwarts to publicly stand up to Mugabe and tell him he must go but this was highly unlikely.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 01HARARE1585, ZIMBABWE’S INTERNAL POLITICAL SITUATION (C-NA1-

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

111117Z May 01

CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ8138

PAGE 01       HARARE 01585 111109Z

ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   ACQ-00   CIAE-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00

SRPP-00 DS-00   EB-00   EUR-00   FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00

H-01     TEDE-00 INR-00   LAB-01   L-00     VCE-00   AC-01

DCP-01   NRRC-00 NSAE-00 OMB-01   OPIC-01 PA-00   PM-00

PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SP-00   TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00

DSCC-00 DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00 SAS-00     /008W

——————EA50EB 111109Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8852

INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001585

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/11

TAGS: PGOV PINR ZI

SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE’S INTERNAL POLITICAL SITUATION (C-NA1-

00316)

REF: A) STATE 73228, B) HARARE 1495, C) HARARE 930, D)

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02       HARARE 01585 111109Z

00 HARARE 5951

CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D’AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR

REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D).

¶1. (C) BELOW ARE EMBASSY HARARE’S RESPONSES TO REF A

TASKING QUESTIONS:

¶A. (C) IT IS OUR ASSESSMENT THAT PRESIDENT MUGABE IS NO

LONGER SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING A DEAL WITH THE OPPOSITION

MDC THAT WOULD INCLUDE HIS EARLY RETIREMENT. (REF D

SUGGESTED THAT LATE LAST YEAR MUGABE PUT OUT FEELERS TO

THE OPPOSITION FOR SOME KIND OF POWER-SHARING OR

RETIREMENT DEAL.) WE BELIEVE THAT IF THE MDC LEADERSHIP

APPROACHED MUGABE NOW WITH SUCH AN OFFER, HE WOULD

PROBABLY REJECT IT OUT OF HAND. MUGABE IS DETERMINED TO

WIN ANOTHER TERM AND IS CONVINCED HE CAN DO IT.

MASVINGO “SUPREMO” EDDISON ZVOBGO TOLD US MAY 10 THAT

THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD INDUCE MUGABE TO LEAVE OFFICE

EARLY WOULD BE FOR A NUMBER OF PROMINENT ZANU-PF

STALWARTS TO PUBLICLY STAND UP TO MUGABE AND TELL HIM HE

MUST GO. IN THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT, WE FIND THIS

SCENARIO HIGHLY UNLIKELY. IN ADDITION, WE CANNOT

CONCEIVE OF ANY CONDITIONS THAT MUGABE WOULD VOLUNTARILY

ACCEPT THAT WOULD INDUCE HIM TO ABANDON HIS RE-ELECTION

BID. HOWEVER, ZANU-PF IS STILL DIVIDED OVER THE

DESIRABILITY OF RETAINING MUGABE AS ITS CANDIDATE. THE

SMALL COTERIE OF HARDLINERS SURROUNDING MUGABE, SUCH AS

INFORMATION MINISTER MOYO AND VICE-PRESIDENTS MSIKA AND

MUZENDA, WISH TO SEE MUGABE RUN AGAIN, BUT MANY IN THE

PARTY BELIEVE IT WILL BE ZANU-PF’S UNDOING. REFORM-

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 03       HARARE 01585 111109Z

MINDED MEMBERS, SUCH AS FINANCE MINISTER MAKONI AND

FORMER HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER DUMISO DABENGWA, WOULD

UNDOUBTEDLY LIKE TO SEE MUGABE BOW OUT OF THE RACE, AND

WOULD LIKELY SUPPORT A NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT BEFORE

OR AFTER THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

¶B. (C) WE ARE NOT AWARE OF ANY CREDIBLE REPORTS OF

MUGABE ACTIVELY MOVING PERSONAL OR STATE ASSETS OUT OF

THE COUNTRY. IN FACT, MUGABE HAS NEARLY FINISHED A NEW

MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR MANSION — MOSTLY FINANCED BY ZANU-

PF — IN THE BORROWDALE SUBURB OF HARARE, A SIGN HE

INTENDS TO STAY FOR SOME TIME. ON THE OTHER HAND, LATE

LAST YEAR, WE WERE TOLD BY INDEPENDENT SOURCES THAT

FURNITURE BELONGING TO THE PRESIDENT WAS SEEN BOXED UP

AT HARARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT EN ROUTE TO EITHER LIBYA

OR EUROPE. THIS STORY FALLS IN THE CATEGORY OF RUMOR,

HOWEVER, AND IS NOT A FIRM INDICATION OF MUGABE

INTENDING TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY PERMANENTLY. WE DO HEAR

STORIES OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT AND PARTY OFFICIALS LOOKING

FOR SCHOOLS IN THE U.S. INTO WHICH THEY CAN PLACE THEIR

CHILDREN OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS, AN INDICATOR THAT

THEY THINK THE SITUATION WILL WORSEN. TO PAY FOR THIS,

THERE MUST BE SOME ASSET MOVEMENT OUT OF THE COUNTRY.

IN ADDITION, THE BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHTS TO LONDON ARE

ALWAYS FULL, AND PEOPLE BOARDING THEM SEEM TO BE IN

POSSESSION OF MUCH MORE THAN ORDINARY LUGGAGE.

¶C. (C) AS FOR THE MDC, IT CONTINUES TO ACTIVELY

CAMPAIGN FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, BUT IN A MORE

LOW-KEY STYLE, AND IT TAKES PAINS TO AVOID ANTAGONIZING

ZANU-PF (SEE REFS B AND C FOR DETAILS ON THE MDC’S

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PAGE 04       HARARE 01585 111109Z

STRATEGY.) IT IS UNCLEAR HOW THE MDC WOULD REACT TO A

MUGABE VICTORY: MANY IN THE PARTY STILL HAVE NOT

SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED THIS POSSIBILITY AND THERE DOES NOT

YET APPEAR TO BE A CONTINGENCY PLAN IN PLACE.

IRVING

CONFIDENTIAL

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