Wetherell said politburo now cabinet

Iden Wetherell, the editor of the Zimbabwe Independent, told United States embassy officials that the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front politburo now functioned as the nation’s cabinet.

The real cabinet, he said, was in Mugabe’s view filled with “weaklings and lightweights”.

Mugabe was going to expand the politburo at the party’s annual conference to bring in more help for the presidential elections.

Wetherell said it was not time to reduce the politburo or punish enemies within the party because Mugabe needed all the help he could get.

 

Full cable:

 

Viewing cable 01HARARE3410, ZIMBABWE: FEW CHANGES EXPECTED AT UPCOMING

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Reference ID	Created	Classification	Origin
01HARARE3410	2001-11-15 12:42	CONFIDENTIAL	Embassy Harare

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

 

 

 

CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ8282

 

PAGE 01       HARARE 03410 01 OF 02 151326Z

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——————3EA729 151326Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0286

INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 003410

 

SIPDIS

 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR CHARLES NEARY

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/11

TAGS: PGOV PINR ZI

SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: FEW CHANGES EXPECTED AT UPCOMING

ZANU-PF CONFERENCE

 

CLASSIFIED BY POLOFF TODD C. FAULK FOR REASONS: 1.5 (B)

AND (D).

 

¶1. (C) SUMMARY: THE ZIMBABWE RULING PARTY’S ANNUAL

CONFERENCE HAS BEEN SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 13-16 IN

VICTORIA FALLS. NO MAJOR CHANGES IN THE ZANU-PF

LEADERSHIP ARE EXPECTED TO BE ANNOUNCED, AND THE

CONFERENCE IS LIKELY TO REAFFIRM PRESIDENT MUGABE AS THE

PARTY’S CANDIDATE FOR NEXT YEAR’S ELECTION. OUR

INTERLOCUTORS TELL US THAT THE DATES OF THE PRESIDENTIAL

ELECTION WILL PROBABLY NOT BE ANNOUNCED UNTIL AFTER

ZANU-PF WRAPS UP ITS ANNUAL DOG AND PONY SHOW. END

SUMMARY.

 

ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN THE WORKS

——————————

 

¶2. (C) FRED SHAVA, ZANU-PF’S DIRECTOR OF

ADMINISTRATION, CONFIRMED WITH POLOFF ON NOVEMBER 13

THAT ZANU-PF’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD IN

VICTORIA FALLS DECEMBER 13-16. ABOUT 7,000 DELEGATES

REPRESENTING ALL 10 PROVINCES (THE PROVINCIAL COUNCILS

WILL SELECT THEIR DELEGATES OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS)

WILL BE ASSEMBLED UNDER A GIGANTIC TENT ON THE GOLF

COURSE OF A LOCAL RESORT. HARARE DIPLOMATS WILL BE

INVITED TO ATTEND THE OPENING CEREMONY — LIKELY TO BE

HELD DECEMBER 14, A DAY AFTER REGISTRATION IS COMPLETED

— AND EMBASSIES SHOULD RECEIVE THEIR INVITATIONS BY THE

END OF THE MONTH, THE DIRECTOR NOTED. SHAVA DESCRIBED

THE CONFERENCE AS THE PARTY’S ANNUAL “MANAGEMENT

REVIEW,” WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM A FIVE-YEAR CONGRESS.

A CONGRESS IS TASKED WITH ELECTING THE PARTY’S 280-

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 03       HARARE 03410 01 OF 02 151326Z

MEMBER CENTRAL COMMITTEE, WHEREAS NO LEADERSHIP CHANGES

CAN BE MADE AT A CONFERENCE, SHAVA ASSERTED. DEPUTY

JUSTICE MINISTER PAUL MANGWANA TOLD POLOFF NOVEMBER 1

THAT IT IS AGAINST ZANU-PF’S CONSTITUTION TO CHANGE THE

PARTY LEADERSHIP OUTSIDE OF A FIVE-YEAR CONGRESS.

CHANGES IN THE POLITBURO WERE MADE AT LAST YEAR’S

CONGRESS ONLY BECAUSE THE PARTY CONSTITUTION HAD BEEN

CHANGED TO PERMIT IT. (NOTE: LAST YEAR’S ANNUAL

GATHERING QUALIFIED AS A “SPECIAL” CONGRESS TO CONCLUDE

UNFINISHED BUSINESS FROM 1999’S FIVE-YEAR CONGRESS. END

NOTE.) WHEN ASKED ABOUT THIS YEAR’S AGENDA, SHAVA COYLY

REMARKED THAT IT HAS NOT COME OUT YET, BUT SAID A

“REAFFIRMATION” OF MUGABE’S CANDIDACY FOR NEXT YEAR’S

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS LIKELY.

 

A FEW LAST-MINUTE ADJUSTMENTS?

——————————

 

¶3. (C) THE OCTOBER 26 EDITION OF THE “ZIMBABWE

INDEPENDENT” CLAIMED THAT THE ZANU-PF POLITBURO WILL BE

EXPANDED AT THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE TO BRING IN MORE HELP

FOR THE ELECTION. THE ARTICLE CLAIMED THAT THE

COMMISSARIAT, WHICH DIRECTS ELECTION EFFORTS, WILL BE

EXPANDED WITH TWO NEW DEPUTY SECRETARIES, INFORMATION

MINISTER JONATHAN MOYO WILL HEAD A NEW INFORMATION,

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AND COMMISSARIAT SUB-COMMITTEE, AND

NICHOLAS GOCHE WILL DIRECT A NEW TRANSPORT AND SECURITY

SUB-COMMITTEE. IDEN WETHERELL, EDITOR OF THE

“INDEPENDENT,” TOLD POLOFF NOVEMBER 6 THAT NOW IS NOT

THE TIME FOR MUGABE TO REDUCE THE POLITBURO OR PUNISH

ENEMIES WITHIN THE PARTY — HE NEEDS ALL THE HELP HE CAN

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 04       HARARE 03410 01 OF 02 151326Z

GET. THE ZANU-PF POLITBURO NOW FUNCTIONS AS THE

NATION’S CABINET — THE REAL CABINET, IN MUGABE’S VIEW,

IS FILLED WITH “WEAKLINGS AND LIGHTWEIGHTS” — AND IT

WILL BE EXPANDED TO MEET THE ELECTORAL CHALLENGE AHEAD,

WETHERELL OPINED.

 

¶4. (C) IN SPEAKING TO ACTING PARTY COMMISSAR SIKHANYISO

NDLOVU ON NOVEMBER 8, POLOFFS LEARNED THAT MUGABE

PROBABLY WILL APPOINT A NEW COMMISSAR AT THE ZANU-PF

CONFERENCE, BUT NDLOVU REFUSED TO SPECULATE WHETHER IT

WOULD BE HIM. WHEN ASKED IF NEW YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

MINISTER ELLIOT MANYIKA WAS FAVORED FOR THE KEY POST,

NDLOVU SAID HE WAS A POSSIBILITY. WITH A TOUCH OF

BITTERNESS, THE ACTING COMMISSAR COMPLAINED ABOUT

WORKING FOR FORMER COMMISSAR BORDER GEZI, WHO DIED IN AN

APRIL CAR ACCIDENT. HE DESCRIBED GEZI AS UNEDUCATED AND

IMMATURE. NDLOVU NOTED THAT HE WAS NOW CONDUCTING A

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF ZIMBABWE’S DEMOGRAPHICS TO LEARN

WHICH AREAS AND GROUPS ARE BEST TO TARGET FOR THE

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. THE JUNE 2000 PARLIAMENTARY

ELECTIONS WERE RUN BASED ON THE OUTDATED 1992 CENSUS,

BUT THAT MISTAKE WOULD NOT BE MADE THIS TIME, HE ASSURED

US.

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ8285

 

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

AC-01   NSAE-00 OMB-01   OPIC-01 PA-00   PC-01   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   SWCI-00   /008W

——————3EA740 151326Z /38

P 151242Z NOV 01

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0287

INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

 

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 003410

 

SIPDIS

 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR CHARLES NEARY

NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/11

TAGS: PGOV PINR ZI

SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: FEW CHANGES EXPECTED AT UPCOMING

ZANU-PF CONFERENCE

 

ELECTION DATE STILL A MYSTERY

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 02       HARARE 03410 02 OF 02 151326Z

—————————–

 

¶5. (C) WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE POSSIBLE TIMING OF THE

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, DIRECTOR SHAVA STATED THAT IT WAS

“ENTIRELY UP TO THE PRESIDENT’S DISCRETION.” HE REFUSED

TO ELABORATE ON WHEN THE DATE MIGHT BE ANNOUNCED,

STATING THAT THE WINDOW FOR THE ELECTION WAS WELL-

DEFINED BY THE CONSTITUTION. SHAVA THEN VOLUNTEERED

THAT IT IS WITHIN THE PRESIDENT’S AUTHORITY TO DELAY AN

ELECTION, AND EFFECTIVELY EXTEND HIS TENURE, IF THE

COUNTRY IS AT WAR, THERE IS A NATURAL DISASTER THAT

PREVENTS VOTERS FROM GOING TO THE POLLS, OR A STATE OF

EMERGENCY IS DECLARED. IDEN WETHERELL REMARKED THAT HE

DOES NOT BELIEVE MUGABE WILL ANNOUNCE THE ELECTION DATE

DURING THE ZANU-PF CONFERENCE BECAUSE HE “DOESN’T WANT

TO PUT ALL HIS CARDS ON THE TABLE.” INSTEAD, HE WILL

WAIT AS LONG AS LEGALLY POSSIBLE. MUGABE WILL STAND FOR

RE-ELECTION, THE EDITOR OFFERED, BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT

IS CONVINCED THAT HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SEE “THE

REVOLUTION” THROUGH. NDLOVU TOLD US A MARCH DATE HAD

BEEN RECOMMENDED TO THE PRESIDENT BUT THAT MUGABE HAS

NOT YET MADE A DECISION.

 

COMMENT

——-

 

¶6. (C) THIS YEAR’S ZANU-PF CONFERENCE IS SHAPING UP TO

BE AN EVEN BIGGER NON-EVENT THAN IN PREVIOUS YEARS.

GONE ARE EVEN THE USUAL RUMORS OF WHOLESALE CHANGES IN

THE PARTY LEADERSHIP OR “YOUNG TURK” REVOLTS. ZANU-PF

MEMBERS APPEAR RESIGNED TO THE CONTINUED PRESENCE OF

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 03       HARARE 03410 02 OF 02 151326Z

MUGABE AT THE HELM AND ARE STAKING THEIR POLITICAL

FUTURES ON HIS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDACY. ALTHOUGH A FEW

MINOR RESHUFFLES OR ADDITIONS TO THE POLITBURO MAY OCCUR

— ELLIOT MANYIKA LOOKS LIKE A SHOE-IN FOR PARTY

COMMISSAR — MUGABE IS UNLIKELY TO CHANGE TACK SO NEAR

THE END OF THE RACE, EVEN IF THE BOAT IS TAKING ON

WATER. THE CONFERENCE WILL LIKELY SERVE AS ANOTHER

AVENUE FOR THE PRESIDENT TO WHIP UP SUPPORT FOR HIS LAND

PROGRAM AND TO REENERGIZE THE PARTY FAITHFUL. END

COMMENT.

 

SULLIVAN

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

>

 

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