US embassy cable - 04HARARE765

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000765 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER, D. TEITELBAUM 
LONDON FOR C. GURNEY 
PARIS FOR C. NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINR, SF, ZI, MDC 
SUBJECT: MDC MP JOB SIKHALA DENIES SPLINTER PARTY PLOT -- 
ALLEGES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS 
 
REF: A. PRETORIA 1865 
 
     B. HARARE 716 
     C. HARARE 530 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Audu Besmer for reasons 1.5 b/d 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: On May 4, maverick MDC MP Job Sikhala denied 
rumors that he planned to create a splinter party with other 
high-level MDC officials.  Whether or not that rumor is true, 
Sikhala and MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai currently appear 
to be at odds -- yet another example of internal conflict 
distracting the MDC from its mission as an opposition party. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C) Sikhala said he thought the rumor (Refs A, B) actually 
originated from within MDC headquarters in Harare by staff 
members loyal to MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai who sought 
to discredit him (Sikhala).  He said a splinter party would 
serve no purpose.  He was confident he would win the 
nomination for MDC candidate for MP representing the Harare 
suburb of St. Mary's -- a position he currently holds.  He 
said that if he lost the nomination, he would run as an 
independent -- and win. 
 
3. (C) Sikhala also alleged that Tsvangirai authorized two 
plots to kill him recently.  Sikhala said Tsvangirai's 
bodyguards half-cut Sikhala's car tire valves on April 2 in 
such a way as to make a blowout likely.  Sikhala's supporters 
allegedly saw the bodyguards cut the valves and an accident 
was averted.  Sikhala supporters within MDC headquarters 
allegedly heard that Tsvangirai loyalists planned to kill 
Sikhala by throwing a hand-grenade into his house.  The 
grenade was allegedly to be thrown during the attack on 
Sikhala's house on April 23 (Ref B).  Sikhala called the 
youths who attacked his house on that day, "Tsvangirai's 
thugs". 
 
4. (C) Dennis Murira, personal assistant to the National 
Chairman, said that under Tsvangirai's orders he had 
recruited Sikhala into the MDC from the student movement in 
1999.  Murira said he recently found out that Sikhala and 
former Zengeza MP Tafadzwa Musekiwa accepted bribes from 
Central Intelligence Office agents to "not" call protests 
when the two were student leaders.  Murira alleged that 
Sikhala and Musekiwa both felt compromised, i.e. they were 
obligated to do the CIO's bidding under threat that the 
bribes would be made public.  Murira said Musekiwa's response 
to this pressure was to flee to the U.K.  He said Sikhala's 
has been to play his standard role of maverick agitator. 
 
5. (C) Sikhala objected publicly to what he called the 
"imposition" by the leadership of MDC candidate James Makore 
in Zengeza.  Tsvangirai and Sikhala were to meet soon to iron 
out what appears to be significant bad blood between the two 
over candidate selection.  Sikhala has agitated for primaries 
to select MP candidates.  In an April 29 briefing to 
diplomats, Tsvangirai suggested that the party was 
considering primaries.  (Comment:  This would be an expensive 
proposal for an already cash-strapped party.  It remains 
unclear how the MDC leadership will deal with this issue. 
End Comment.)  The MDC constitution currently provides for 
consensus selection of candidates via MDC provincial 
structure representatives.  MDC officials acknowledged that 
the Zengeza candidate was imposed by the National Chairman, 
against MDC official rules (Ref C).  The move reportedly 
supplanted another candidate that the MDC Zengeza membership 
put forth. 
 
Comment: 
-------- 
 
6. (C) It is hard to know what might be true when talking to 
Sikhala.  It is possible he asked Shumba to support him in a 
splinter party, whether or not he actually intended to form 
one, simply to demonstrate to Tsvangirai that he was a force 
with whom Tsvangirai would need to reckon. 
 
7. (C) Continued: There are many allegations that various MDC 
officials have taken bribes from GOZ sources, or have 
provided information to the GOZ.  It is unlikely such 
allegations will ever be proven.  Rumors like these further 
demonstrate that various MDC personalities and factions are 
increasingly jockeying for pole position.  As long as these 
personnel conflicts claim center stage, party business will 
remain secondary. 
SULLIVAN