THE NEW SENATORS: FEW GUIDING LIGHTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 001680 SIPDIS AF/S FOR B. NEULING SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2015 TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL ZI SUBJECT: THE NEW SENATORS: FEW GUIDING LIGHTS Classified By: Ambassador Christopher Dell for reasons 1.5 b/d -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) By far the majority of the 66 new Senators are ruling party hacks, in office only to accumulate a salary and government-provided luxury cars, a fleet of which, according to a state-controlled newspaper, will cost more than US$4.3 million at the overvalued official rate. Nonetheless, the body also includes a precious few who, if given the right environment, could contribute to political and/or economic reform within Zimbabwe. However, as currently constituted Zimbabwe,s recreated upper house is unlikely to act as an effective driver of reform, despite the presence of some reform-minded individuals. Below are biographic sketches of the Senators who are known to Post and who either hold key positions or could potentially serve as voices for reform ) admittedly this is a short list. Over the coming weeks, Post will endeavor to learn more about the remaining - largely unknown - Senators to see if there are other bastions of hope. End Summary. -------------- Senate President Edna Madzongwe -------------- ¶2. (C) A parliamentarian since 1990, Madzongwe is a competent interlocutor who is eager to be seen as a leader on gender issues. Madzongwe, who is also the ZANU-PF Deputy Secretary for Production and Labour, has a long history of SIPDIS advancing women,s issues, but carries little clout on other issues. The director of the SUNY parliamentary support project, John Makamure, told Post that Madzongwe has often been an obstacle to legislative reform, boding ill for the establishment of the nascent Senate. In the same vein, MDC Mayor of Chegutu Francis Dhlakama told Post that Madzongwe's Mashonaland West machine has been responsible for the incessant harassment (violent demonstrations, arrests) that have hamstrung his administration since his election in 2001. ¶3. (U) Closely aligned with Vice President Joyce Mujuru, Madzongwe was in 1990 elected MP for Kadoma East and a year later was appointed Deputy Minister for Education and Culture, a Post she held for two years. In 1995, she became the first female Deputy Speaker of Parliament. In 1989, she was appointed ZANU-PF Deputy Secretary for Education, after rising through the ruling party,s women,s league ranks. Madzongwe joined the ZANU youth movement in 1966 and worked to raise funds for the independence war in the United States, where she was a student. ¶4. (U) Madzongwe attended Salvation Army School in Harare and Mhofu Primary in Highfield for her primary education, before proceeding to Goromonzi Secondary from 1959-62. She attended Quinsigamond Community College in Massachusetts from 1966-68, where she earned an Associate degree in liberal arts and then proceeded to Worcester State College from 1969-1972 where she earned a Bachelor degree with a major in English and a minor in Psychology. From 1976-1980 she attended the University of Massachusetts and earned a Master degree in Educational Psychology. Born on July 11, 1945 in Zvimba (President Mugabe's home town),Madzongwe is widowed and has three sons. Madzongwe maintains a blood relation to President Mugabe. Her mother is from the Samkange family, widely regard as a part of Zimbabwe,s &struggle aristocracy8 because of their prominence in colonial era nationalist politics. -------------- Senate Deputy President Naison Ndlovu -------------- ¶5. (C) Naison Ndlovu,s elevation to Deputy President appears to be calculated to bolster ZANU-PF,s hand in Matabeleland South, where the ruling party swept all the Senatorial seats. Also the ZANU-PF Secretary for Production and Labor, Ndlovu was elected as the upper house representative for Insiza. Ndlovu served as Deputy Speaker of Parliament between 1990 and 1995. Makamure described Ndlovu as an average parliamentarian and, like Madzongwe, unlikely to push for reform. He noted, however, that Ndlovu had often been at odds with other ZANU-PF MPS. A former leader in ZAPU, the Ndebele-based rival to Robert Mugabe's ZANU, he served as its national chairman between 1980 and 1987, when the two parties merged to form ZANU-PF. He also served as Bulawayo,s first black mayor. During the war for independence he was twice jailed for his activities, the first between 1965 and 1968, and again from 1973 to 1975. Ndlovu was born in 1930. -------------- Senator Dzikamai Mavhaire, Masvingo -------------- ¶6. (C) Mavhaire,s nomination ) and subsequent victory - on the ruling party ticket for the Masvingo Senate seat marked this maverick,s political rehabilitation following his suspension from the party leadership when he called for Mugabe's resignation in 1998. An ally of the Zvogbo family in the factional politics of ZANU-PF in Masvingo province, Mavhaire has been in the doldrums, outside mainstream politics for years. Mavhaire commends a large following in Karanga-dominated Masvingo province. By nominating him for Senate, Mugabe was probably attempting to divide Karanga support for Emmerson Mnangagwa, the political rival of his heir-apparent, Vice President Mujuru. Historically open to Embassy contact, Mavhaire is an independent voice that has been highly critical of flawed government policies. SUNY interlocutors expect him to provide a voice of reason in the upper house and to contribute to the reform process. ¶7. (U) Before his suspension from the party, Mavhaire was the ZANU-PF Provincial Chairman for Masvingo. He served as Governor of Masvingo Pronvince from 1984 to 1989. Prior to that, he was Deputy Minister of Industry and Energy Development (1982-1983). -------------- -------------- Senator Aguy Clement Georgias, Non-Constituent Appointee -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C) Georgias,s deep pockets and showy praise for Mugabe and ZANU-PF probably secured him his seat in the Senate. The owner of Trinity Engineering, Georgias, however, has a reputation for being outspoken regarding the state of the economy. SUNY reports that he has contributed to budget seminars and monetary policy statements. A prominent industrialist from Chihvu, Georgias has helped develop the legal code governing businesses by bringing questions before the courts regarding interest rates and lending contracts. Despite his party ties, this young, vibrant, results-oriented businessman could prove to be a young turk. Georgias, however, fits the profile of past business executives that ZANU-PF has brought into the fold in a mutually exploitive relationship as long as it suited the party elite's interests. ¶9. (C) Mugabe likely also intended Georgias,s appointment as a nod to the country,s colored community. Georgias, however, is actually a black Zimbabwean, hailing from the Zezuru subgroup of the dominate Shona ethnicity, just like Mugabe. During the colonial era, Georgias, like many other lighter-skinned blacks, adopted a European name ) in Aguy,s case the family name of the white man who taught him to be a welder ) to gain higher social and legal standing. Georgias, true ethnic background is reportedly known only to a few ruling party insiders. He is married to a woman of mixed race. Fellow Senator Mahere told Post that Georgias likes to flirt with women by saying that his name is &Gorgeous.8 -------------- --- Senator Sheila Mahere, Non-Constituent Appointee -------------- --- ¶10. (C) The most surprising addition to the Senate, Sheila Mahere is a long-time Embassy contact and the director of Musasa Project, a Democracy and Human Rights Fund grant recipient that works with battered women. She has been a vocal regime critic on gender issues and professed surprise to Post when Mugabe asked her take a seat in the upper house. Mahere told us that Vice President Mujuru and Minister of Women,s Affairs Muchinguri suggested her nomination and that she intended to place women,s rights at the forefront of the Senate,s agenda. She nonetheless expressed concern that her appointment would be ill received by other civil society leaders and the donor community and, in fact, several of Post,s NGO contacts have expressed fears that she has been co-opted. ¶11. (C) Mahere is the daughter of liberation war leader and former Cabinet member Morris Nyagumbo, who committed suicide in 1989 after being implemented in the famous &Willowgate8 scandal. Although divorced, Mahere said she retains her married name so as not to ride on her father,s coattails. Growing up during the liberation struggle, Mahere spent most of her childhood going between the camps in Zambia and school in the UK; she told Post that she rarely saw her father. She received a degree with honors in law from Leicester University (UK) in 1988. Returning to Zimbabwe only after her father,s death, she earned a second law degree (in 1991) and her MBA (in 2000) from the University of Zimbabwe. She has extensive legal experience, including stints as a public prosecutor (1990-1993),magistrate (1993-1995),and senior magistrate (1995-1997). Born on April 27, 1958, she enjoys reading, cooking, and gardening. She has three children. DELL