MOYO'S DEPARTURE CHEERS GOB

C O N F I D E N T I A L GABORONE 000651 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/S DIFFILY E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/12/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV ZI BC SUBJECT: MOYO'S DEPARTURE CHEERS GOB REF: 04 GABORONE 676 Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOSEPH HUGGINS FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Botswana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation hopes that the appointment of Tichaona Jokonya as Zimbabwe's Minister of Information and Publicity will calm the stormy relations between the two nations. In a May 9 conversation with PolOff, Mr. Manyepedza Lesetedi, Director of the MFA's Africa and Asia Division, indicated to PolOff that Jonathan Moyo's manipulation of the Zimbabwe media to attack Botswana had caused bilateral ties to become "unfriendly." In contrast, the MFA feels that it knows Jokonya and expects him to handle differences more discreetly, thereby easing tensions between Zimbabwe and Botswana. END SUMMARY -------------- GOB WELCOMES JOKONYA'S APPOINTMENT -------------- ¶2. (C) In a May 9 conversation with PolOff, Mr. Manyepedza Lesetedi, the Director of the Africa and Asia Division of Botswana's MFA, forecast smoother sailing in Botswana-Zimbabwe relations. Thanks to former Minister for Information and Publicity Jonathan Moyo's tendency to deal with differences "through the media," bilateral relations "had been unfriendly" (reftel). He complained that, under Moyo, any Zimbabwean with a complaint against Botswana spoke freely about it. While Lesetedi wondered whether this was deliberate or simply the result of inept management, the GOB found this exasperating, particularly because it exercised careful discipline regarding which government officials spoke and what they said about Zimbabwe. ¶3. (C) Lesetedi predicted that as a career diplomat, Tichaona Jokonya is more likely to address bilateral disputes through "proper channels." He asserted that the MFA knows Jokonya well and feels that with his cooperation tensions between Zimbabwe and Botswana can begin to subside. Lesetedi reminded PolOff that Botswana faces constant criticism from Zimbabwe over its closeness with the US. That criticism, he indicated, is likely to continue irrespective of Jokonya's role as Minister of Information and Publicity. -------------- MFA CRITICAL OF MDC -------------- ¶4. (C) Commenting on Zimbabwe's March 31 elections, Lesetedi described them as less flawed than the previous elections there. As a consequence, he opined, the Movement for Democratic Change's (MDC) poor showing undermined its credibility in capitals around the continent and boosted that of President Mugabe. Offering his personal assessment, Lesetedi argued that Morgan Tsvangirai is not capable of effectively leading the MDC. He dismissed as unrealistic the Movement's recent rebuff of the Government of South Africa as a mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis, claiming that no other government could possibly play that role. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶5. (C) The hope sparked within the GOB that Jokonya's appointment could help repair damage to Botswana-Zimbabwe relations is symptomatic of the GOB's reluctance to speak frankly to the GOZ in support of a democratic solution to the crisis there. HUGGINS