ZIMBABWE LABOR FEDERATION ELECTS NEW LEADERS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000846 SIPDIS NSC FOR JFRAZER ILAB FOR RSHEPHARD LONDON FOR CGURNEY PARIS FOR BWILLIAMS NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD - DWELLER, AFR/SA - CPALMA, NNEWMAN, AA/AFR - VDICKSON-HORTON CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HARARE 00846 261505Z E.O. 12958: DECL 02/26/11 TAGS: ELAB PGOV PHUM PINR ZI SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE LABOR FEDERATION ELECTS NEW LEADERS, AFFIRMS NON-PARTISAN NATURE REFS: A. HARARE 782, B. HARARE 661, C. HARARE 612, ¶D. HARARE 573, E. HARARE 3680 CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D' AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR REASONS 1.5 (B/D). ¶1. (U) THE ZIMBABWE CONGRESS OF TRADE UNIONS (ZCTU) FIVE-YEAR CONGRESS, HELD ON FEBRUARY 23 AND 24, RESULTED IN THE ELECTION OF A NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND AN AFFIRMATION THAT THE FEDERATION IS NON-PARTISAN. ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE CONGRESS WENT SMOOTHLY, AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF AN OVERT EFFORT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE (GOZ) AND ZANU-PF TO DIRECTLY INFLUENCE EVENTS IN THE CONGRESS AND THE ELECTION OF THE NEW LEADERSHIP. THE FEBRUARY 26 ISSUE OF THE GOZ- CONTROLLED "THE HERALD" REPORTED THAT THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE ZCTU, LOVEMORE MATAMBO, PROCLAIMED THAT THE LABOR FEDERATION WAS "NOT ALIGNED TO ANY POLITICAL PARTY" AND "WILL WORK WITH ANY POLITICIANS WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WORKERS' WELFARE REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL AFFILIATION." THIS IS AFTER THE OUTGOING SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE ZCTU, AND PRESIDENT OF THE OPPOSITION MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC),MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, ADDRESSED THE CONGRESS ON FEBRUARY 24 AND SAID THAT "ZCTU IS THE SOUL OF THE MDC AND IF YOU REMOVE THE SOUL, THE PARTY WILL DIE." CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 00846 261505Z ¶2. (U) THE FOLLOWING WERE ELECTED TO KEY POSITIONS IN THE ZCTU EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: = WILLARD CHIBHEBHE - SECRETARY-GENERAL = COLLEN GWIYO - FIRST DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL = MIRIAM MUKUTUMA - SECOND SECRETARY-GENERAL = LOVEMORE MATAMBO - PRESIDENT = MATILDA CHEKUDA - TREASURER ¶3. (C) COMMENT: WHILE IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THE CONGRESS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ZCTU, THE MDC, AND ZANU-PF, OUR EARLY READING IS THAT THE PRO-MDC ELEMENT IN THE ZCTU WAS ABLE TO CARRY THE DAY. WILLARD CHIBHEBHE, WHO WAS ELECTED SECRETARY-GENERAL, THE MOST POWERFUL POSITION IN THE EXECUTIVE, WAS MENTIONED TO US BY PRO-MDC LABOR LEADERS GIFT CHIMANIKIRE AND ISAAC MATONGO PRIOR TO THE CONGRESS AS ONE OF THEIR PREFERRED CANDIDATES FOR THAT POSITION. INDEED, ACCORDING TO SENIOR MDC ADVISOR GANDI MUDZINGWA, CHIBHEBHE SERVED AS THE MDC'S SECRETARY OF POLICY AND RESEARCH IN 1999 AND IS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR FORMULATING MANY OF THE PARTY'S CURRENT POLICIES. HIS ELECTION IS THUS A GOOD SIGN FOR CONTINUED COOPERATION OR AT LEAST IDEOLOGICAL SUPPORT BETWEEN THE ZCTU AND THE MDC, REGARDLESS OF THE LABOR ORGANIZATION'S PROCLAIMED NEUTRALITY. THE PREVIOUS ACTING SECRETARY- CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HARARE 00846 261505Z GENERAL, ISIDORE ZINDOGA, WHO WAS WIDELY BELIEVED TO BE PRO-ZANU-PF, WAS DEFEATED AND NOW HOLDS NO LEADERSHIP POSITION IN THE ZCTU. WE WILL BE MEETING IN THE NEAR TERM WITH OUR LABOR CONTACTS TO GLEAN THE UNION AND POLITICAL BACKGROUNDS OF THE NEW ZCTU EXECUTIVE. WE WILL ALSO SEEK A CLEARER READOUT OF WHAT THE WEEKEND'S VOTE MEANS FOR ZIMBABWE'S WORKERS, AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ZCTU, THE OPPOSITION MDC, AND THE RULING ZANU-PF. END COMMENT. IRVING CONFIDENTIAL >