US embassy cable - 01HARARE846

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 
 
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PAGE 02        HARARE  00846  261505Z 
E.O. 12958: DECL 02/26/11 
TAGS: ELAB, PGOV, PHUM, PINR, ZI 
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." 
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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- 
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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 
 
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