GORDON MOYO SHARES INSIGHTS INTO CABINET AND TOP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000447 SIPDIS AF/S FOR B. WALCH DRL FOR N. WILETT ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS STATE PASS TO USAID FOR J. HARMON AND L. DOBBINS STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR MICHELLE GAVIN E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM ZI SUBJECT: GORDON MOYO SHARES INSIGHTS INTO CABINET AND TOP ISSUES Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reason 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office, Gordon Moyo, explained President Mugabe's refusal to fire Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana. Firing Gono would be an indictment on Mugabe's presidency and he was still financially useful, while Tomana was a useful tool for harassing the opposition. Cabinet this week was dominated by a heated debate over whether the MDC-T would retain control over donor funds. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tsvangirai has been traveling to ZANU-PF strongholds to build support ahead of an eventual election. END SUMMARY. -------------- What's Next for Gono and Tomana? -------------- ¶2. (C) Minister of State Gordon Moyo met with poloff on May 29 and confirmed that the twin appointment issues of Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana had reached an absolute deadlock between the principals, with President Mugabe refusing to budge. This left the MDC-T no option but to refer the issue to SADC via a letter to South African President Jacob Zuma. Moyo suspected that SADC would not call an extraordinary summit for solely this issue, but would instead push the issue to the SADC Troika organ on politics, defense, and security. ¶3. (C) When asked why Gono in particular was such a non-negotiable issue with Mugabe, Moyo said it was two-fold: Firing Gono would be an indictment on Mugabe's presidency as everything Gono had done was with his blessing, and Gono was still finding illicit ways to get funds to Mugabe, party leaders, and security chiefs. Moyo said that while Gono's RBZ authorities had been dramatically cut, he maintained his business interests --obtained illicitly through his tenure at the helm of the RBZ-- which generated income that he was distributing to Mugabe and key ZANU-PF players. He cited gold purchases as an area where he continued to profit. ¶4. (C) Mugabe was determined to keep AG Tomana because he had proven to be a useful tool to harass and distract political opponents. Moyo said that Tomana was actually a bigger issue than Gono, because of the extent to which he could undermine the rule of law. -------------- MDTF Big Issue in Cabinet This Week -------------- ¶5. (C) Moyo told us that discussion of the administration of the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) was the primary issue discussed at the May 27 Cabinet meeting. Moyo presented his proposal that the prime minister's office should represent the government on the MDTF Policy Oversight Committee --consisting of government, donors, the UNDP head, and a World Bank representative who will identify projects and deliver funds-- at which the ZANU-PF ministers erupted in opposition, sparking a three-hour debate. Interestingly, the Qopposition, sparking a three-hour debate. Interestingly, the Minister of Regional Integration and International Co-operation, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga of the MDC-M, was ZANU-PF's preferred choice to represent the government. ¶6. (C) The farm invasion issue has left Cabinet and is now being addressed at the Council of Ministers which is HARARE 00000447 002 OF 002 directing the land-audit process. Moyo said that two Zimbabwean professors, Samuel Moyo and Mandivamba Rukuni, would direct the audit to determine who held title in farm disputes and eliminate multiple farm ownership. -------------- Tsvangirai in Campaign Mode Already -------------- ¶7. (C) Moyo said that Tsvangirai has been traveling throughout the country --but focusing on the ZANU-PF strongholds in Mashonaland-- meeting with local officials to explain his next 100-day plan and field questions. The local government bureaucrats he had been meeting with consisted of provincial officials, chiefs, school teachers, and local law enforcement. Their reaction was overwhelmingly positive to Tsvangirai's outreach effort and appeared to indicate that ZANU-PF's grip on these regions was weakening. While many in the audience were ZANU-PF party officials, Moyo said that they had not benefited from their party ties. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) We have little confidence that SADC will have the appetite to force out Gono and Tomana. SADC has traditionally chosen the path of least resistance when dealing with Zimbabwe. While the MDC can make the argument that their appointments violated the Inter-party Political Agreement and an MOU between the parties, these are appointments that Mugabe is constitutionally authorized to make. While some donors may be able to live with an emasculated Gono, we stressed that the MDC must represent the government when proposing uses for donor trust funds to generate confidence in the international donor community. END COMMENT. MCGEE