Former Health Minister David Parirenyatwa doubted that Zimbabweans could resolve their political crisis on their own and suggested that major powers such as the United States and the United Kingdom should intervene.
He however said President Robert Mugabe should be part of the solution.
United States embassy officials said though Parirenyatwa was not a political heavyweight, Mugabe listened to him because of his liberation credentials.
“(He) has been a voice of reason on health issues and even on GM/BT maize where Mugabe turned to him to override the extremist advice of Agriculture Minister Made and Information Minister Jonathan Moyo,” a cable released by Wikileaks says.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE2497, HEALTH MINISTER PARIRENYATWA FOCUSES ON POLITICAL
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C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 002497
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/14/2007
SUBJECT: HEALTH MINISTER PARIRENYATWA FOCUSES ON POLITICAL
IMPASSE
Classified By: Joseph Gerard Sullivan for reasons 1.5b/d
¶1. (C) Summary: At one-on-one lunch Nov 14, Health Minister
David Parirenyatwa acknowledged to the Ambassador that
Zimbabwe’s deep social, economic and humanitarian crises
could not be resolved without addressing Zimbabwe’s equally
deep political crisis. He doubted that Zimbabweans could
resolve their political crisis on their own and suggested
that major powers such as the US and UK needed to take a
hand. His early ideas for resolution led, unsurprisingly,
with international and domestic recognition of Mugabe’s
legitimacy, but he did not exclude other ideas and was very
interested in promoting dialogue to address the political
crisis. Comment: Parirenyatwa is not a political heavy, but
does hold strong liberation credentials and has been a voice
of reason on health issues and even on GM/BT maize where
Mugabe turned to him to override the extremist advice of
Agriculture Minister Made and Information Minister Jonathan
Moyo. End Summary
2.(U) Parirenyatwa and the Ambassador began by discussing a
number of operational issues on health cooperation where
Parirenyatwa was his usual thoughtful and cooperative self on
these issues. In the course of these discussions,
Parirenyatwa noted that he was struggling to get increases in
his health budget, but that inflation was rapidly eroding the
value of these increases. He also noted that his foreign
exchange limitations were even more extreme. While the EU
would be providing basic medicines, his clinics now often
lacked stethoscopes.
3.(C) The Ambassador then turned to a conversation begun at
a large dinner several weeks before to note that resolution
of Zimbabwe’s many crisis could only come with resolution of
the country’s political crisis. Parirenyatwa, unlike many of
his ZANU-PF colleagues, did not disagree, but urged taking
into account Zimbabwe’s historical context; i.e. the need for
land redistribution. He conceded that the land
redistribution contained many errors, but that distribution
of multiple plots to individuals was a problem which was
being corrected through an ongoing land audit. While not
contesting questions regarding the freedom and fairness of
elections, he claimed that the MDC’s refusal to accept
election results had damaged prospects for a political
rapprochement. (Comment:not very credible since GOZ
repressive legislation had already been put in place.)
4.(C) Parirenyatwa, acknowledging that political polarization
was extreme, doubted that Zimbabweans had the ability to
overcome their differences on their own. He suggested,
instead, that major international players like the US and UK
bring their weight to bear to put together a solution. He
noted that IMF and World Bank presence and loans were
critical and that US support would be necessary for this to
happen; he said that the GOZ’s economic policies could change
quickly if it was not functioning as an economy under siege.
He suggested that Presidents Bush and Mugabe could meet to
find a solution to the problems. The Ambassador replied that
no one should expect President Bush to meet with President
Mugabe, but that the Ambassador was available to dialogue
with anyone in the Party or the Government who recognized
that there was a crisis and was interested in finding
solutions. The Ambassador suggested that the two political
parties needed to find ways to address Zimbabwe’s national
emergency together and that ZANU-PF had to cease efforts to
crush the opposition.
¶5. (C) Comment: Minister Parirenyatwa is son of the first
black doctor in Southern Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. His father was
Vice President of ZAPU before there was a ZANU and
consequently Minister Parirenyatwa’s liberation credentials
are impeccable. He is not a political heavyweight, but is
someone Mugabe listens to, particularly on health and
technical issues. This conversation reflects the growing
recognition among some Government insiders of the hole they
are in and the beginning of recognition of the need to
address the country’s political crisis by other than crushing
the opposition. Parirenyatwa shows too much inclination to
find the solution outside the country rather than with fellow
Zimbabweans and he still believes it important that Mugabe be
part of a political solution. We will continue talking to
Parirenyatwa and others in an effort to promote more thinking
within ZANU-PF on dealing seriously with the political
crisis.
SULLIVAN
(58 VIEWS)
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