US sponsors dinner to get MDC and ZANU-PF talking

The United States embassy in Harare supported a dinner hosted by then Industry Minister Nkosana Moyo to get the Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front and the Movement for Democratic Change talking.

The dinner at Moyo’s residence was attended by Welshman Ncube the secretary general of the MDC and Fletcher Dulini Ncube the MDC shadow minister for Industry while ZANU-Pf was represented by Saviour Tyson Kasukuwere the legislator for Mount Darwin and Daniel Ncube the legislator for Zhombe.

Although nothing materialised from the dinner, the delegates got talking and even complained about the incompetence of their Members of Parliament.

Moyo felt that Lands Minister Joseph Made was incompetent while Kasukuwere felt that Youth Minister Border Gezi was smart to which Ncube replied that if that was the case then Gezi was dangerous.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 00HARARE6318, SYMBOLIC MEETING BETWEEN ZIMBABWE

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

CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ6961

PAGE 01       HARARE 06318 091550Z

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——————9D1A98 091551Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7604

INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 006318

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/10

TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON PINR ZI

SUBJECT: SYMBOLIC MEETING BETWEEN ZIMBABWE

PARLIAMENTARIANS FROM GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION

REFS: A) HARARE 6189, B) HARARE 6082

CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR TOM MCDONALD FOR REASONS 1.5

(B) AND (D).

¶1. (C) SUMMARY: AMBASSADOR MCDONALD SUPPORTED A DINNER

HOSTED BY MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

NKOSANA MOYO NOVEMBER 7 AIMED AT GETTING ZANU-PF AND MDC

PARLIAMENTARIANS TALKING TO EACH OTHER. AMONG THE

GUESTS WERE TWO MDC AND TWO ZANU-PF MPS. THE ATMOSPHERE

WAS CORDIAL AND BOTH SIDES SPOKE FRANKLY OF THEIR OWN

DELEGATIONS’ FAILINGS IN PARLIAMENT. MINISTER MOYO

SOUGHT TO GET BOTH SIDES TALKING IN PARTICULAR ABOUT

WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE ZIMBABWE’S INTERNATIONAL

TRADE RELATIONS. NO BREAKTHROUGH MATERIALIZED, NOR WAS

ANY EXPECTED, BUT THE AMBASSADOR AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS

IN THIS PROCESS INTEND THIS TO BE THE FIRST OF A SERIES

OF LESS-FORMAL MEETINGS TO GET THE ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT

AND OPPOSITION TALKING BEFORE THE TENSIONS BETWEEN THEM

COMES TO BLOWS. END SUMMARY.

¶2. (C) AMBASSADOR, ALONG WITH THE AMBASSADORS FROM

GERMANY, AUSTRALIA, CANADA AND FRANCE, SUPPORTED A

DINNER HOSTED BY MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNATIONAL

TRADE NKOSANA MOYO AT MOYO’S RESIDENCE NOVEMBER 7. THE

INVITED GUESTS WERE WELSHMAN NCUBE, MDC SECRETARY-

GENERAL AND MP FOR BULAWAYO NORTHEAST, FLETCHER NCUBE,

MDC INDUSTRY, COMMERCE AND TRADE SHADOW MINISTER AND MP

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 03       HARARE 06318 091550Z

FOR LOBENGULA-MAGWEGWE, TYSON KASUKUWERE, ZANU-PF MP FOR

MOUNT DARWIN SOUTH, AND DANIEL NCUBE, ZANU-PF MP FOR

ZHOMBE DISTRICT.

¶3. (C) THE OBJECTIVE OF THE DINNER WAS TO BEGIN A

CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE ZANU-PF AND MDC

PARLIAMENTARIANS, WHO HAVE SHOWN FEW SIGNS OF

COOPERATION IN THIS NEW SESSION OF PARLIAMENT. THE

VITRIOL HAS REACHED A NEW LEVEL FOLLOWING THE

INTRODUCTION OF THE MDC’S PRESIDENTIAL IMPEACHMENT

MOTION (REF B). THE ATMOSPHERE WAS CORDIAL AND THE

DISCUSSION CENTERED AROUND PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

BEFORE TURNING TO INDIVIDUAL PARLIAMENTARIANS. BOTH

SIDES POINTED OUT THE “INCOMPETENT” MPS IN THEIR

RESPECTIVE DELEGATIONS AND MUSED ABOUT HOW SOME STILL

HAD NOT GOTTEN UP TO SPEED. MINISTER MOYO REMARKED THAT

HE BELIEVED LANDS, AGRICULTURE AND RESETTLEMENT MINISTER

JOSEPH MADE TO BE INCOMPETENT. ON THE OTHER HAND,

KASUKUWERE SAID HE THOUGHT YOUTH DEVELOPMENT MINISTER

BORDER GEZI WAS “SMART,” TO WHICH WELSHMAN NCUBE REPLIED

THAT WOULD MAKE GEZI EVEN MORE DANGEROUS. (COMMENT:

GEZI, THE FORMER MASHONALAND CENTRAL GOVERNOR,

PERSONALLY AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY DIRECTED THE CAMPAIGN OF

PRE-ELECTION VIOLENCE IN HIS PROVINCE. KASUKUWERE ALSO

IS REPORTED TO HAVE DIRTY HANDS FROM THE PRE-ELECTION

PERIOD [REF A] END COMMENT.)

¶4. (C) AS PART OF HIS AGENDA FOR THE DINNER, MINISTER

MOYO SOUGHT TO BUILD BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT FOR LAYING THE

POLICY GROUNDWORK TO QUALIFY FOR AFRICAN GROWTH AND

OPPORTUNITY ACT (AGOA) CONCESSIONS. THE AUSTRALIAN HIGH

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 04       HARARE 06318 091550Z

COMMISSIONER REPORTED TO DCM THAT THE MAIN INITIATIVE IN

THE CARDS WAS A POSSIBLE JOINT TRIP TO WASHINGTON TO

PLEAD ZIMBABWE’S CASE. SUBSEQUENTLY, MINISTER MOYO

BROACHED THE POSSIBLE TRIP TO THE AMBASSADOR, WHO

COUNSELED THAT THE EFFORT NOT BE UNDERTAKEN UNTIL LATE

FEBRUARY OR MARCH 2001 WHEN THE NEW ADMINISTRATION IS IN

PLACE. HE ALSO ADVISED THE MINISTER TO MANAGE

EXPECTATIONS BECAUSE THE AGOA DECISION RELATED TO

ZIMBABWE IS NOT LIKELY TO BE REVERSED OR OVERTURNED

SOON.

¶5. (C) COMMENT: ALTHOUGH NO BREAKTHROUGHS WERE SEEN AT

THIS DINNER, AS EXPECTED, WE WERE PLEASED TO SEE BOTH

SIDES ENGAGED IN A CORDIAL AND FRANK DISCUSSION.

WELSHMAN NCUBE, AN MDC MODERATE, IS WELL THOUGHT OF BY

BOTH SIDES AND COULD BE A KEY PERSON IN FUTURE BI-

PARTISAN MEETINGS. MINISTER MOYO IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT

INTERLOCUTOR AND CLEARLY WANTS ZIMBABWE TO QUALIFY FOR

AGOA. THE AMBASSADOR ENVISIONS A SERIES OF THESE LESS

FORMAL, CONFIDENCE-BUILDING GATHERINGS, AND WILL BE

WORKING WITH HIS DIPLOMATIC COLLEAGUES TO JUMPSTART THE

DIALOGUE BETWEEN ZANU-PF AND MDC BEFORE THE TENSION

BETWEEN THEM COMES TO BLOWS. END COMMENT.

MCDONALD

CONFIDENTIAL

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