ZVOBGO DEATH LEAVES VOID IN RULING PARTY

UNCLAS HARARE 001429 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D Copy - Missing lines AF/S FOR B. NEULING NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICAN DIRECTOR C. COURVELLE, D. TEITELBAUM LONDON FOR C.GURNEY PARIS FOR C.NEARY NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER E.O. 12958 : N/A TAGS: PGOV ZI ZANU PF SUBJECT: ZVOBGO DEATH LEAVES VOID IN RULING PARTY 1.(U) Veteran nationalist and ZANU-PF Member of Parliament for Masvingo South, Dr Eddison Jonas Mudadirwa Zvobgo died on August 22 at the age of 69 after a lengthy illness. The GOZ has declared him a national hero; his funeral is scheduled for August 29 at Heroes' Acre in Harare. Zvobgo, whose wife passed away earlier this year, is survived by his seven children. Zvobgo was one of the first beneficiaries of the African-American Institute scholarships for Southern Africans in the early 1960's and studied at Tufts and Harvard Universities. 2.(U) In recent years Zvobgo had fallen out of favor with President Mugabe, a former friend with whom he worked closely through years of civil war and early independence. He was awaiting investigation over his outspoken criticism of the ZANU-PF. In March 2003, he shocked members of parliament when he called for the establishment of an anti-corruption commission. Zvobgo accused fellow ZANU-PF members of seizing farms and state institutions of poisoning the nation with corrupt practices. 3.(U) Zvobgo also played a crucial role on the Parliamentary Legal Committee, which passes on the constitutionality of pending legislation. Under Zvobgo's direction, the committee frequently issued adverse reports on draconian legislation such as the 2002 Public Order and Security Act, which was nonetheless passed and has since served as the pretext for the routine arrests of Zimbabweans demonstrating agains the GOZ. COMMENT -------------- 4.(SBU) The country has lost an outspoken and intellectually powerfull voice with Zvobgo's passing. A personal friend of the Ambassador datin back to their student days together, he was trusted by the opposition party and highly regraded by Zimbabweans as a whole. Like late Vice-President Muzenda, Zvobgo was an especially popular figure in his politically important Masvingo home province. Zvobgo's controversial criticism of ZANU-PF insiders fueled intra-party divisions. The party lacks anyone with the stature, integrity, and courage to assume his mantle and his passing may present ZANU-PF with an opportunity to fortify its unity in the run-up to the 2005 parliamentary elections. SULLIVAN