SPY TRIO GETS JAIL TERMS

UNCLAS HARARE 000207 SIPDIS AF/S FOR BNEULING NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE, D. TEITELBAUM PARIS FOR C. NEARY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR ZI ZANU PF SUBJECT: SPY TRIO GETS JAIL TERMS REF: HARARE 83 AND PREVIOUS (U) On February 8, three of the ZANU-PF officials found guilty of spying on ZANU-PF for South African intelligence were given jail sentences. The three, Zimbabwe,s ambassador-designate to Mozambique, Godfrey Dzvairo, banker Tendai Matambanadzo, and ZANU-PF external affairs director Itai March, pled guilty on December 24 but later changed their plea to not guilty on the basis that they were without legal representation when they made their plea. The magistrate threw out their change of plea and upheld the guilty plea. Dzvairo received a sentence of six years, and the other two received five years each, according to the Herald and the Daily Mirror newspapers. The trial of ZANU-PF deputy security chief Kenny Karidza is ongoing. Chinhoyi M.P. Phillip Chiyangwa is awaiting trial on similar charges. DELL