CHARGE'S MEETING WITH VICE-PRESIDENT MUJURU

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000769 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 E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM ECON EAGR EAID ZI SUBJECT: CHARGE'S MEETING WITH VICE-PRESIDENT MUJURU REF: HARARE 760 Classified By: CDA Donald Petterson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) In a cordial meeting with the Charge, Vice-President Joice Mujuru hewed to the ZANU-PF party line in defending the progress of the inclusive government and in criticizing sanctions. She stated a constitutional process was in place, but that elections might not take place for some time. Mujuru acknowledged problems with the implementation of the land reform program and said she supported a land audit. She contended that farm invasions and attempts to force partnerships on conservancy owners were the acts of rogue ZANU-PF officials and were not directed by high-level party officers. Finally, she commented that ZANU-PF was for the first time discussing succession publicly, as it looked toward its December Congress. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) The Charge met with Mujuru in her home on September ¶23. Although disagreeing with U.S. policy, as explained by the Charge, particularly with regard to sanctions and ZDERA, Mujuru was cordial and pleasant throughout. ¶3. (C) The Charge began the meeting by stating that the U.S. was not looking for regime change, but political reforms, and that we would work with reformers from any political party. After noting U.S. assistance to Zimbabwe, he discussed areas of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) that are not being implemented. He also discussed the perception of Zimbabwe as one of the worst places in the world to invest. Among the causes of this was continuing farm invasions. A recent film (Ref) demonstrated that it was not just white farm owners, but black farm workers who had been devastated by the takeover of farms. The Charge brought up in particular the conservancy of Amcit Weldon Schenk in which the governor of Masvingo Province now claims a 51 percent interest. ¶4. (C) Addressing first the constitutional process, Mujuru said that it should be "people driven" and inclusive. The effort to bring everyone into the process required travel, consultation, and synthesizing feedback. This would require time. The process was already behind schedule and, since elections depended on a new constitution, it was uncertain when they could take place. ¶5. (C) Mujuru opined that the main issues of the GPA had already been dealt with. As to issues raised by the MDC: the appointment of governors was not covered by the GPA, the appointments of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana were legal and any dispute with regard to these should be resolved by the GPA principals, and the appointment of Roy Bennett as Deputy Agriculture Secretary should depend on the result of his court case. With regard to the prosecution of MDC MPs, Mujuru averred that Zimbabwe was governed by rule of law and that these MPs' cases should be resolved by the courts. ¶6. (C) On the issue of farm invasions and violence, Mujuru Q6. (C) On the issue of farm invasions and violence, Mujuru took great pains to state that as a Christian and a liberation fighter who had fought for peace she would never condone violence. ZANU-PF leadership was in Harare and did not have control over people throughout Zimbabwe, some of whom were hooligans or acting for political or personal gain. Turning to Weldon Schenk, Mujuru said Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had discussed the case the day before with her and she had encouraged him to investigate further and report back to her. Mujuru also admitted that land reform had been poorly implemented and said she supported a land audit to HARARE 00000769 002 OF 002 correct problems. ¶7. (C) Not reacting to the Charge's detailing of over USD 300 million assistance to Zimbabwe during the last year, Mujuru said the U.S. should support the ordinary Zimbabwean people in areas including health and agriculture. She bemoaned sanctions (read ZDERA) which she claimed were precluding Zimbabwe from getting credit. ¶8. (C) On a more positive and interesting note, Mujuru discussed the ZANU-PF Women's League elections last weekend (Septel) and the upcoming ZANU-PF Congress. She remarked that the vote for Women's Commissar was contentious and was resolved by secret ballot. (NOTE: Minister of Women's Affairs Olivia Muchena, allied to the Mujuru faction was the winner. END NOTE.) Mujuru also told the Charge that Mugabe had authorized a committee to study the succession issue and report to the Politburo. This was the first time, she said, that succession had been discussed openly. She commented that the MDC had presented itself as a party of change, and ZANU-PF was trying to follow this example. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) It is an open secret that the Mujuru faction would like to see Mugabe go. Having failed to accomplish this at the last two ZANU-PF conferences, the vice-president, her husband Solomon Mujuru, and their allies, are not directly working against Mugabe, but are trying to build up their faction to position themselves for a succession battle in the future. The Women's League election indicates that the Mujuru faction remains a strong force within ZANU-PF -- as strong, if not stronger than the Mnangagwa faction -- and Joice Mujuru is a strong candidate to succeed Mugabe. ¶10. (C) Sanctions, more specifically ZDERA, continue to be a neuralgic point. ZANU-PF officials such as Mujuru have decried ZDERA for so long as the cause of economic decline that they appear impervious to logical argument. ZDERA is a useful scapegoat for ZANU-PF-caused economic disaster. The fact that ZDERA has frozen a significant amount in Solomon Mujuru's accounts is doubtless a contributing factor. ¶11. (C) While we broke no new ground with Mujuru, we will maintain contact. She may well be the next president of Zimbabwe if Mugabe leaves the scene before elections. Notwithstanding her and her husband's reputation for corruption, she would likely be more amenable to political reform than Mugabe. END COMMENT. PETTERSON