MDC LEADER TSVANGIRAI FORMALLY CHARGED WITH TREASON

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000748 SIPDIS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR NEARY E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/12 TAGS: PGOV PREL ZI SUBJECT: MDC LEADER TSVANGIRAI FORMALLY CHARGED WITH TREASON REF: A) HARARE 731 B) HARARE 572 C) HARARE 501 D) HARARE 411 CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MATT HARRINGTON. REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (U) MDC LEADER MORGAN TSVANGIRAI WAS CHARGED WITH TREASON ON MARCH 20 IN THE ALLEGED PLOT TO ASSASSINATE PRESIDENT MUGABE. TSVANGIRAI PRESENTED HIMSELF AT THE HARARE CENTRAL POLICE STATION SIPDIS FOR FINGERPRINTING, THEN APPEARED AT THE HARARE MAGISTRATE'S COURT, WHICH FORMALLY CHARGED HIM WITH THE CAPITAL CRIME. HE WAS RELEASED ON A BAIL OF Z$1.5 MILLION (APPROXIMATELY U.S. $5,000),AND WAS ORDERED TO SURRENDER THE TITLE DEED TO HIS HOUSE, WORTH Z$3 MILLION (APPROXIMATELY U.S. $10,000). TSVANGIRAI WAS ALSO ORDERED TO RELINQUISH HIS PASSPORT AND TO SIPDIS REPORT TO THE POLICE ONCE A WEEK. THE PARTY'S SHADOW AGRICULTURE MINISTER AND MP FOR GWERU RURAL, RENSON GASELA, WAS ALSO CHARGED WITH TREASON BY THE SAME COURT. HE WAS RELEASED ON Z$ 500,000 BAIL (APPROXIMATELY U.S. $1500) AFTER BEING ORDERED TO COMPLY WITH THE SAME CONDITIONS AS TSVANGIRAI. ¶2. (U) MDC SECRETARY-GENERAL WELSHMAN NCUBE -- WHO WAS HIMSELF RECENTLY CHARGED WITH TREASON IN THE SAME CASE -- PUBLICLY DESCRIBED THE FILING OF CHARGES AGAINST TSVANGIRAI AS "AN ATTEMPT TO CONTINUE HARASSING THE MDC LEADERSHIP IN ORDER TO STOP US FROM RESISTING AN ILLEGITIMATE ELECTION PROCESS." TSVANGIRAI SPECIAL ADVISOR GANDI MUDZINGWA TOLD US THAT TSVANGIRAI, GASELA, AND NCUBE WILL APPEAR IN COURT ON APRIL 30 FOR AN INTERIM HEARING ON COMPLIANCE WITH BAIL CONDITIONS, BUT THAT NO TRIAL DATE HAS BEEN SET. ¶3. (C) MEANWHILE, MUDZINGWA TOLD US THAT THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HARARE 00748 211859Z FACILITATOR FOR THE INTER-PARTY DIALOGUE HAD ARRIVED ON MARCH 20 AND THAT THE NIGERIAN FACILITATOR WAS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE IN THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. THE MDC PLANNED TO SHARE WITH THEM THE LIST OF NEGOTIATING PRINCIPLES DESCRIBED BY THEIR MP DAVID COLTART IN A MARCH 19 CONVERSATION WITH THE AMBASSADOR (REF A). SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE KEY LEADERSHIP THEN PLAN TO HOLD A ONE-DAY RETREAT NEAR THE SOUTHWESTERN CITY OF BULAWAYO MARCH 22-23 TO DETERMINE NEXT STEPS. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: THE FILING OF TREASON CHARGES AGAINST TSVANGIRAI LESS THAN 24 HOURS AFTER ZIMBABWE'S SUSPENSION FROM THE COUNCILS OF THE COMMONWEALTH DOES NOT AUGUR WELL FOR NEAR-TERM POLICY CHANGES BY PRESIDENT MUGABE'S GOVERNMENT NOR FOR THE LIKELY SUCCESS OF INTER-PARTY TALKS. WE KNOW THAT PRESIDENTS MBEKI AND OBASANJO TRIED TO PERSUADE MUGABE TO DROP THE FLIMSY CHARGES AGAINST TSVANGIRAI AND OTHER MDC LEADERS AS A CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURE, BUT THE ZIMBABWEAN LEADER RESISTED, APPARENTLY EMPHASIZING THE NEED FOR THE CASE TO MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH THE COURTS. SULLIVAN CONFIDENTIAL >