MAPURANGA TO BE ZIMBABWE'S HIGH COMMISSIONER TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001596 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/11 TAGS: PREL PINR ZI GH SUBJECT: MAPURANGA TO BE ZIMBABWE'S HIGH COMMISSIONER TO GHANA CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (U) ACCORDING TO,THE MAY 12 EDITION OF THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED "THE HERALD" NEWSPAPER, PRESIDENT MUGABE HAS APPOINTED THE FORMER PERMANENT SECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DR. MACHIVENYIKA TOBIAS MAPURANQA, TO CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 01596 140854Z BE ZIMBABWE'S HIQH COMMISSIONER TO GHANA. THE ARTICLE CONTINUED THAT MAPURANQA WOULD OPEN A NEW MISSION IN ACCRA. BY WAY OF BIOQRAPHIC INFORMATION THE ARTICLE SAYS THAT MAPURANQA IS A CAREER DIPLOMAT WHO SERVED AS ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ORQANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY (OAU) BETWEEN 1987 AND 1995 AND WAS APPOINTED IN 1996 AS ZIMBABWE'S PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONS. HE ALSO SERVED AS A SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OAU SECRETARY GENERAL TO RWANDA FROM 1992 TO 1995 AND LED THE OAU DELEGATION THAT BROKERED THE PEACE TALKS THAT RESULTED IN THE SIGNING OF THE ARUSHA PEACE AGREEMENT ON RWANDA. MAPURANGA, ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTS, SERVED AS ZIMBABWE'S HIGH COMMISSIONER TO TANZANIA AND ZAMBIA AND AS DEPUTY PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS IN THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: MAPURANGA IS A SMOOTH DIPLOMAT WHOSE PROMISING CAREER WAS SIDELINED BY THE APPOINTMENT OF WILLARD CHIWEWE AS SENIOR SECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IN AUGUST 2000. ALTHOUGH NO ONE IN THE NORMALLY SECRETIVE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS WOULD TALK ABOUT SIPDIS THE REASON FOR MAPURANGA'S ABRUPT REMOVAL, OBSERVERS HERE SPECULATE IT WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT HIS BROTHER, LEONARD MAPURANGA, RAN FOR PARLIAMENT IN GOROMONZI DISTRICT ON THE MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE TICKET. HE LOST TO THE CURRENT MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY, HERBERT MURERWA. MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS STANISLAUS MUDENGE THEN PLACED DR. MAPURANGA IN CHARGE OF "SPECIAL PROJECTS," WHERE THE LATTER KEPT AN EXTREMELY LOW PROFILE UNTIL HIS CURRENT APPOINTMENT. WE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 01596 140854Z SURMISE THAT MUDENGE MUST HAVE PERSONALLY INTERVENED TO RESCUE AND PLACE THE LOYAL AND CAPABLE MAPURANGA. ¶3. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: WE FOUND MAPURANGA TO BE FORMAL AND CORRECT IN HIS DEALINGS WITH US (HE NEVER ASKED US TO REFER TO HIM AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN DR. MAPURANGA). AN EXCEEDINGLY CAUTIOUS DIPLOMAT, HE NEVER REVEALED INFORMATION TO US THAT WE COULD NOT READ IN THE NEWSPAPER. EVEN WHEN INFORMATION CAME FROM HIS GOVERNMENT, SUCH AS IN AUGUST 1999 WHEN THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE ORGANIZATION SOUGHT THE EXPULSION OF A USAID CONTRACTOR, MAPURANGA WOULD PRESENT HIS CASE IN SUCH AN ELLIPTICAL FASHION THAT IT WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY POSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE CONVERSATION. FORMER UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE OLUSEYI BAJULAIYE TOLD US THAT HE RELIED HEAVILY ON HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH "MACH" MAPURANGA TO WORK THROUGH THE RELEASE OF THE TWO CUBAN DOCTORS WHO DEFECTED IN MAY 2000 IN ZIMBABWE. MAPURANGA IS CAPABLE OF TESTINESS, PARTICULARLY WHEN HE PERCEIVES AN INTERLOCUTOR TO SAY SOMETHING THAT HE PERCEIVES AS INFRINGING UPON ZIMBABWE'S SOVEREIGNTY. HE IS MARRIED, DOES NOT SMOKE, AND DRINKS IN MODERATION. IRVING CONFIDENTIAL >