The pro-Movement for Democratic Change element of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions took control of the labour movement at its congress when Lovemore Matombo was elected president and Wellington Chibhebhe secretary-general.
There had been fears that the pro-Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front element led by acting secretary-general Isidore Zindoga might win. Zindoga had insisted that the ZCTU should remain non-partisan.
According to a cable dispatched by the United States embassy, Chibhebhe, who took over the most powerful post in the labour movement, was the MDC favourite.
MDC senior advisor Gandi Mudzingwa said Chibhebhe served as the MDC’s secretary of policy and research in 1999 and was directly responsible for formulating many of the party’s policies.
“His election is thus a good sign for continued cooperation or at least ideological support between the ZCTU and the MDC, regardless of the labour organization’s proclaimed neutrality,” the embassy said.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who had been secretary general of the organisation before the formation of the MDC, told the congress that the “ZCTU is the soul of the MDC and if you remove the soul, the party will die”.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 01HARARE846, ZIMBABWE LABOR FEDERATION ELECTS NEW LEADERS,
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
|
Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
261503Z Feb 01
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ9323
PAGE 01 HARARE 00846 261505Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 ACQ-00 CEA-01 CIAE-00 COME-00
CTME-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 WHA-00 SRPP-00 DS-00
EB-00 EUR-00 EXIM-01 E-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00
FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 ITC-01 LAB-01
L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01
PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00
STR-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 BBG-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-01
DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /013W
——————CA6553 261505Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8296
INFO NSC WASHDC
DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000846
SIPDIS
NSC FOR JFRAZER
ILAB FOR RSHEPHARD
LONDON FOR CGURNEY
PARIS FOR BWILLIAMS
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER
PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD – DWELLER, AFR/SA – CPALMA,
NNEWMAN, AA/AFR – VDICKSON-HORTON
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 00846 261505Z
E.O. 12958: DECL 02/26/11
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE LABOR FEDERATION ELECTS NEW LEADERS,
AFFIRMS NON-PARTISAN NATURE
REFS: A. HARARE 782, B. HARARE 661, C. HARARE 612,
¶D. HARARE 573, E. HARARE 3680
CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D’ AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR
REASONS 1.5 (B/D).
¶1. (U) THE ZIMBABWE CONGRESS OF TRADE UNIONS (ZCTU)
FIVE-YEAR CONGRESS, HELD ON FEBRUARY 23 AND 24, RESULTED
IN THE ELECTION OF A NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND AN
AFFIRMATION THAT THE FEDERATION IS NON-PARTISAN. ALL
INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE CONGRESS WENT SMOOTHLY, AND
THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF AN OVERT EFFORT BY THE
GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE (GOZ) AND ZANU-PF TO DIRECTLY
INFLUENCE EVENTS IN THE CONGRESS AND THE ELECTION OF THE
NEW LEADERSHIP. THE FEBRUARY 26 ISSUE OF THE GOZ-
CONTROLLED “THE HERALD” REPORTED THAT THE NEW PRESIDENT
OF THE ZCTU, LOVEMORE MATAMBO, PROCLAIMED THAT THE LABOR
FEDERATION WAS “NOT ALIGNED TO ANY POLITICAL PARTY” AND
“WILL WORK WITH ANY POLITICIANS WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT
WORKERS’ WELFARE REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL AFFILIATION.”
THIS IS AFTER THE OUTGOING SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE
ZCTU, AND PRESIDENT OF THE OPPOSITION MOVEMENT FOR
DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC), MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, ADDRESSED
THE CONGRESS ON FEBRUARY 24 AND SAID THAT “ZCTU IS THE
SOUL OF THE MDC AND IF YOU REMOVE THE SOUL, THE PARTY
WILL DIE.”
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 HARARE 00846 261505Z
¶2. (U) THE FOLLOWING WERE ELECTED TO KEY POSITIONS IN
THE ZCTU EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
= WILLARD CHIBHEBHE – SECRETARY-GENERAL
= COLLEN GWIYO – FIRST DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
= MIRIAM MUKUTUMA – SECOND SECRETARY-GENERAL
= LOVEMORE MATAMBO – PRESIDENT
= MATILDA CHEKUDA – TREASURER
¶3. (C) COMMENT: WHILE IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE
THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THE CONGRESS ON THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ZCTU, THE MDC, AND ZANU-PF, OUR
EARLY READING IS THAT THE PRO-MDC ELEMENT IN THE ZCTU
WAS ABLE TO CARRY THE DAY. WILLARD CHIBHEBHE, WHO WAS
ELECTED SECRETARY-GENERAL, THE MOST POWERFUL POSITION IN
THE EXECUTIVE, WAS MENTIONED TO US BY PRO-MDC LABOR
LEADERS GIFT CHIMANIKIRE AND ISAAC MATONGO PRIOR TO THE
CONGRESS AS ONE OF THEIR PREFERRED CANDIDATES FOR THAT
POSITION. INDEED, ACCORDING TO SENIOR MDC ADVISOR GANDI
MUDZINGWA, CHIBHEBHE SERVED AS THE MDC’S SECRETARY OF
POLICY AND RESEARCH IN 1999 AND IS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE
FOR FORMULATING MANY OF THE PARTY’S CURRENT POLICIES.
HIS ELECTION IS THUS A GOOD SIGN FOR CONTINUED
COOPERATION OR AT LEAST IDEOLOGICAL SUPPORT BETWEEN THE
ZCTU AND THE MDC, REGARDLESS OF THE LABOR ORGANIZATION’S
PROCLAIMED NEUTRALITY. THE PREVIOUS ACTING SECRETARY-
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 HARARE 00846 261505Z
GENERAL, ISIDORE ZINDOGA, WHO WAS WIDELY BELIEVED TO BE
PRO-ZANU-PF, WAS DEFEATED AND NOW HOLDS NO LEADERSHIP
POSITION IN THE ZCTU. WE WILL BE MEETING IN THE NEAR
TERM WITH OUR LABOR CONTACTS TO GLEAN THE UNION AND
POLITICAL BACKGROUNDS OF THE NEW ZCTU EXECUTIVE. WE
WILL ALSO SEEK A CLEARER READOUT OF WHAT THE WEEKEND’S
VOTE MEANS FOR ZIMBABWE’S WORKERS, AND THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE ZCTU, THE OPPOSITION MDC, AND THE RULING
ZANU-PF. END COMMENT.
IRVING
CONFIDENTIAL
>
(35 VIEWS)
0 Comments