United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Tom McDonald told Movement for Democratic Change chairman Isaac Matongo and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s political advisor Gandi Mudzingwa that the party should not speak about violent actions, even obliquely, because this could lead to a crackdown on the party by the government.
McDonald’s comments followed Tsvangirai’s outburst that President Robert Mugabe should go peacefully or he would be removed violently.
The ambassador said Tsvangirai’s statement was not helpful for democratic discourse and could provide the government the pretext that it was looking for to crack down harshly on the MDC.
Matongo said that the MDC and its president Morgan Tsvangirai had always stood for non-violence. He said Tsvangirai got carried away.
He also said the MDC had postponed indefinitely any mass action in light of Tsvangirai’s statement to avoid a harsh reaction from the government.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 00HARARE5666, AMBASSADOR WARNS MDC NOT TO USE VIOLENT
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CONFIDENTIAL PTO2276
PAGE 01 HARARE 05666 051716Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DINT-00 DODE-00
DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EUR-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00
VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 VCE-00
AC-01 DCP-01 NSAE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00
PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00
PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-01 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00
/008W
——————8E3B69 051717Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7294
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 005666
SIPDIS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH
LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/10
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR WARNS MDC NOT TO USE VIOLENT
RHETORIC
REFS: A) SECSTATE 192558, B) HARARE 5629,
C) HARARE 5585, D) HARARE 5581, E) MDC STATEMENT
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 05666 051716Z
FAXED TO DEPARTMENT
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR TOM MCDONALD. REASONS: 1.5 (B)
AND (D).
¶1. (C) AMBASSADOR MCDONALD DELIVERED REF A DEMARCHE TO
MDC NATIONAL CHAIRMAN ISAAC MATONGO, WHO WAS ACCOMPANIED
BY MORGAN TSVANGIRAI’S POLITICAL ADVISOR AND RIGHT-HAND
MAN, GANDI MUDZINGWA, IN THE ABSENCE OF MDC PRESIDENT
MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, WHO IS CURRENTLY OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
WE DO NOT EXPECT HIM TO RETURN UNTIL NEXT WEEK AT THE
EARLIEST. DRAWING ON THE POINTS IN PARAGRAPH TWO OF REF
A, AMBASSADOR CONVEYED THE USG’S STRONG CONCERN ABOUT
TSVANGIRAI’S SEPTEMBER 30 STATEMENTS WARNING OF VIOLENCE
SIPDIS
AGAINST MUGABE IF HE DOES NOT RESIGN SOON. THESE
STATEMENTS ARE NOT HELPFUL FOR DEMOCRATIC DISCOURSE AND
COULD PROVIDE THE PRETEXT THE GOZ IS LOOKING FOR TO
CRACK DOWN HARSHLY ON THE MDC. AMBASSADOR ADVISED IN NO
UNCERTAIN TERMS THAT TSVANGIRAI, GIVEN HIS LEADERSHIP
POSITION AND THE TENSE POLITICAL ATMOSPHERE, SHOULD NOT
SPEAK OF VIOLENT ACTIONS, EVEN OBLIQUELY, AND ONLY
CONSIDER PEACEFUL MASS ACTION.
¶2. (C) MATONGO RESPONDED BY SAYING THAT THE MDC AND ITS
PRESIDENT, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, HAVE ALWAYS STOOD FOR NON-
VIOLENCE. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT TSVANGIRAI GOT CARRIED
AWAY. MATONGO, WHO ATTENDED THE SEPTEMBER 30 RALLY AND
SAT NEXT TO THE MDC LEADER, QUOTED TSVANGIRAI AS SAYING
THE MDC WILL ALWAYS TRY TO CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT
PEACEFULLY, BUT IF MUGABE DOES NOT GO, THE PEOPLE WILL
TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS AND THE MDC LEADERSHIP
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 HARARE 05666 051716Z
WILL BECOME BY-STANDERS. DESPITE MONTHS OF VIOLENCE AT
THE HANDS OF RULING PARTY SUPPORTERS, THE MDC HAS NEVER
RESPONDED VIOLENTLY AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT. ON THE
QUESTION OF MASS ACTION, THE MDC IS CONSULTING WITH
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, BUT DOES NOT HAVE ANY PLANS FOR
MASS ACTION ANY TIME SOON. MATONGO STATED THAT AT A
RALLY NEAR MUTARE EARLIER THIS WEEK, PEOPLE TOLD HIM
THAT THEY CANNOT WAIT UNTIL 2002 TO SEE MUGABE GO.
ZANU-PF IS INSTITUTING VIOLENCE AS ITS SOLE MEANS OF
STAYING IN POWER, MATONGO PROFESSED, AND CITED RENEWED
INTIMIDATION IN MARONDERA WEST, WHERE A PARLIAMENTARY
BY-ELECTION IS DUE TO BE HELD, MBERENGWA WEST, MREWA,
AND OTHER DISTRICTS. SEVERAL MDC SUPPORTERS HAVE BEEN
BEATEN UP AND ONE HOSPITALIZED IN THE LAST WEEK,
ACCORDING TO THE MDC CHAIRMAN.
¶3. (C) COMMENT: IN OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH OTHER MDC
OFFICIALS THIS WEEK, WE HAVE IMPRESSED UPON THEM THE
IMPORTANCE OF REFRAINING FROM VIOLENT RHETORIC IN THIS
TENSE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT. ON SEPTEMBER 29,
AMBASSADOR HAD URGED TSVANGIRAI TO USE RESTRAINT AND
ABIDE BY THE LAW IN ANY MASS ACTION (REF D). IT IS
CLEAR THAT THE MDC LEADERSHIP WAS EMBARRASSED BY
TSVANGIRAI’S IMPRUDENT REMARKS. PUBLICLY, IT HAS GONE
SIPDIS
OUT OF ITS WAY TO PLAY DOWN THE STATEMENTS, SAYING THAT
TSVANGIRAI WAS MERELY WARNING MUGABE THAT PUBLIC ANGER
SIPDIS
COULD FORCE HIM FROM POWER, AS IT HAS DONE WITH OTHER
DICTATORS (REF E). INTERESTINGLY, MINISTER OF STATE FOR
NATIONAL SECURITY NICHOLAS GOCHE TOLD THE AMBASSADOR ON
OCTOBER 4 THAT THE BACK-AND-FORTH WITH THE MDC OVER THE
REMARKS IS MORE ABOUT POLITICS THAN ANYTHING ELSE (REF
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 HARARE 05666 051716Z
B). ON OCTOBER 4, IAN HAY-CAMPBELL, THE BRITISH DEPUTY
HIGH COMMISSIONER HERE, INFORMED US THAT THE MDC
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HAD DECIDED TO POSTPONE INDEFINITELY
ANY MASS ACTION IN LIGHT OF TSVANGIRAI’S STATEMENT TO
AVOID A HARSH REACTION FROM THE GOVERNMENT. MATONGO
CONFIRMED THIS INFORMATION, EXPLAINING THAT THE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HAD NOT DECIDED ON THE DATE OR THE
MEANS TO CONDUCT MASS ACTION. THE MDC CHAIRMAN ALSO
HINTED THAT TSVANGIRAI MAY POSTPONE HIS RETURN FROM
EUROPE UNTIL THIS EPISODE BLOWS OVER. WE DO NOT BELIEVE
THE MDC IS ABOUT TO STRAY FROM ITS POLICY OF NON-
VIOLENCE, AND ITS DECISION TO POSTPONE MASS ACTION IS A
GOOD INDICATION OF THIS. WE THINK OUR MESSAGE HAS BEEN
RECEIVED AND TAKEN TO HEART. END COMMENT.
MCDONALD
CONFIDENTIAL
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