Intelligence sources said the leaked cables had been classified as material for analysis after stunning revelations that top Zanu (PF) and government officials, including Vice-President Joice Mujuru, have been engaged in espionage. “There is sufficient information for analysis and we shall report our conclusions to the leadership of the country,” said a reliable intelligence source.
The intelligence sources said three arms of the CIO were investigating the cables: the Internal, External and Security Branch. “The B-Desk of the Internal Branch is working on this,” said our source. The Serious Crimes Unit has also been roped in.
MDC 99 response
The MDC99 President Job Sikhala released a statement labelling Zanu (PF) and MDC-T politicians ‘charlatans and hypocrites’ after WikiLeaks cables brought some of their deeds to light.
He named John Nkomo, Saviour Kasukuwere, Walter Mzembi, Gideon Gono and other members of the military as those whose true colours had been revealed.
Elsewhere, it has emerged that Vice President Joice Mujuru and other senior members of Mugabe’s inner circle face possible prosecution for exchanging information with United States diplomats. This is according to attorney general Johannes Tomana who said he would not cancel an on-going probe focussing on possible spying activities by Zimbabwean nationals working in cahoots with the American government.
“We are actually going to look at anything that violates our Constitution and our laws and we will take action against anybody who does that,” Tomana said on Tuesday. Tomana’s probe was launched early this year after the first WikiLeaks cables implicated Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai as having begged the US to maintain its sanctions on President Mugabe and his allies for failure to abide by the unity agreement.
Talk with Americans
The latest round of US diplomatic cables released by the website brought astonishing revelations of Mugabe having met US diplomats clandestinely to discuss issues that have long been labelled taboo within Zanu (PF).
In light of the revelations that some senior members of the former ruling party like Mujuru, Kasukuwere, Moyo and Gono held discussions with the Americans, the AG, who openly supports Zanu (PF), said no one was above the law.
“Why are you going for personalities? Do you not know what the constitution says? The constitution covers everybody and I am just doing my job,” Tomana said when asked if he would probe Vice President Mujuru.
Zanu (PF) has admitted to having its feathers ruffled by the latest WikiLeaks information with spokesman Rugare Gumbo describing the situation as tense and disturbing.
Zanu (PF) said it implored those named in the most recent cable leaks to start examining their conscience as the party was seriously investigating the matter.
Gumbo revealed that the latest cable leaks could be a drop in the ocean and challenged those engaged in such activities to start examining their conscience as the country braces itself for more leaks.
Moyo exposed
Serial political flip-flopper, Jonathan Moyo, who has been very vocal on the contentious issue of sanctions, advised the US government on key Zanu (PF) individuals he wanted placed on the restrictive measures, WikiLeaks revealed.
At a meeting with Jonathan Moyo and Ambassador Christopher Dell on 30 March 2007, cable reference id: #07Harare 270, Jonathan Moyo said it was unlikely that Mugabe’s decision to run for president in 2008 would have been successfully challenged from within the ruling party.
Moyo noted that Mugabe genuinely feared “hanging” if he leaves office and suggested international guarantees for his safety could help persuade Mugabe to go.
The Ambassador responded that this was a decision for the Zimbabwean people.
In the leaked cable, Moyo told the American Ambassador that he thought it highly unlikely the military would act on its own and stage a coup.
Then in December 2010, Moyo accused MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai saying: “As early as 2000 he was actively asking the US to bring troops to Zimbabwe to effect a coup”.
When he spoke with the American Ambassador, Moyo believed that a Zanu (PF) party led by Mugabe was likely to lose any election. He allegedly said that Mugabe had told Mnangangwa that he feared being hung.
Who’s who on sanction list
On the issue of sanctions the cable recorded that Moyo accepted the placing of policy makers and their families on sanctions lists, but urged the American government not to list parliamentarians who were not members of either Zanu (PF) Politburo or Central Committee. Whether his alleged plea for the exemption of MPs had anything to do with his status then, only Moyo can explain. With the revelations coming from Wikileaks, it remains to be seen how Jonathan Moyo will try to stop the whole world from commenting about his hypocrisy in view of his recent attempts to gag the Zimbabwean independent press from publishing articles which he published criticising Mugabe.
Moyo, whom the US officials describe as a useful messenger, would sometimes initiate the calls to the embassy whenever he had gathered fresh information according to the cables. He also sought US assistance to remove Mugabe.
First Lady’s fears
On a more personal note, a WikiLeaks cable quoted the First Lady Grace Mugabe as saying that her husband was “out of it 75 percent of the time”. This statement was allegedly made to Gono and followed by insinuations that she wanted Mugabe to quit.
According to WikiLeaks, Gono revealed Grace’s anxiety to the former US ambassador Christopher Dell during a private meeting held in his office at the Reserve Bank HQ in February 2006.
“The Governor confided that Mugabe appeared to be deteriorating mentally and losing his capacity to balance factional interests,” Dell wrote in his report following the meeting.
Gono strongly denied the claims on Monday, saying: “These claims are the rogue ambassadors’ opinions, the product of their fictional minds or whatever kind of grass they were smoking. By attempting to quote me on awkward topics, these guys were trying to authenticate their pregathered, preconceived notions about a particular matter to add credibility to their imaginations”.
President Mugabe turned 87 in February and his wife’s concerns, if true, would suggest his advanced age and reported ill health were beginning to take their toll.
In other diplomatic cables, Botswana President Ian Khama told American officials Mugabe had dozed through a SADC meeting which discussed the formation of the country’s coalition government.
“President Khama told the US Chiefs of Mission that Mugabe started dozing off as the hours passed, head nodding and eyes half-closed. But according to Khama, Mugabe was always able to respond at the right moments, which Khama characterised as having ‘mastered the art of sleeping with one ear open’,” one cable said.
Gono’s frustrations
Meanwhile, Gono also told Dell he handed Mugabe his resignation on February 6, 2006, after being frustrated by the government’s “unwillingness to address deepening corruption, fiscal indiscipline and parastatal inefficiencies.”
Wrote Dell: “Gono disclosed that his frustrations led him to submit his resignation February 6 … He had spent much of the week meeting with Mugabe, the presidium, Didymus Mutasa and other cabinet officials, finally being persuaded just the morning of his meeting with the Ambassador to stay on. The RBZ chief claimed he was under constant political siege for boldly attacking high level corruption in the country.
“He (Gono) cast mining sector corruption as ‘out of this world’ and showed the Ambassador a confidential report on gold that implicated senior officials (unnamed) in siphoning off production sufficient to reduce official output from 22 tons in 2004 to 12 tons in 2005,” Dell wrote.
“(Gono) estimated that corruption in gold alone was costing at least US$250 million a year – enough to feed, fuel and medicate the nation for months.” The RBZ chief is also said to have suggested that the country’s economic problems could help bring about much-needed change.
“Gono agreed that ongoing economic and political developments all served as foundation for a post-Mugabe dispensation that had yet to be worked out. He observed that economic distress impelled a perceived need for change but factional infighting was delaying the succession for which all were posturing,” Dell said.
Regarding possible key players in a post-Mugabe Zanu (PF), Dell wrote: “Gono, speaking sotto voce, mentioned politburo member and ex-Finance Minister Simba Makoni and Party Chairman John Nkomo.
“On a scrap of paper he wrote down ‘Didymus Mutasa’ and ‘(Minister of Agriculture) Joseph Made’ as two players whom he understood could be allowed no place in a post-Mugabe government.
“Gono said he himself remained independent from party factions – ‘equally distrusted by all,’ he joked – but communicated with leaders from all factions in both parties. At the same time, he stressed that, as a rags-to-riches self-made man, he had the confidence to ‘walk away from it all’ if necessary.”
Zanu infighting
Lastly, it was revealed that Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mugabe squared off over the latter’s plans to give away the Home Affairs portfolio to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party during negotiations for a power sharing government.
In a WikiLeaks cable former US ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee wrote: “Mugabe leads a fractured party and he is trying to satisfy key individuals and groups. Rumours circulated last week that he and Emmerson Mnangagwa were involved in a heated argument over the possibility of ceding Home Affairs to the MDC.
“According to these rumours, Mnangagwa grabbed Mugabe by the lapels at which point Mugabe’s bodyguards forcibly subdued Mnangagwa, injuring him to the point that he was hospitalised.
“We have been unable to confirm the physical altercation; nevertheless, there appears to have been a serious rift between Mugabe and Mnangagwa over the allocation of ministries. Mnangagwa is loathe to allow any of the security apparatus to pass to the MDC.” McGee added that “defence forces Chief Constantine Chiwenga and Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono are opposed to the MDC assuming responsibility for Home Affairs. They fear the ministry and police would investigate them for corrupt activities.”
Post published in: News