US embassy cable - 01HARARE1596

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001596 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/11 
TAGS: PREL, PINR, ZI, GH 
SUBJECT: MAPURANGA TO BE ZIMBABWE'S HIGH COMMISSIONER TO 
GHANA 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR 
REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (U) ACCORDING TO,THE MAY 12 EDITION OF THE 
GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED "THE HERALD" NEWSPAPER, PRESIDENT 
MUGABE HAS APPOINTED THE FORMER PERMANENT SECRETARY OF 
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DR. MACHIVENYIKA TOBIAS MAPURANQA, TO 
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BE ZIMBABWE'S HIQH COMMISSIONER TO GHANA.  THE ARTICLE 
CONTINUED THAT MAPURANQA WOULD OPEN A NEW MISSION IN 
ACCRA.  BY WAY OF BIOQRAPHIC INFORMATION THE ARTICLE 
SAYS THAT MAPURANQA IS A CAREER DIPLOMAT WHO SERVED AS 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ORQANIZATION OF 
AFRICAN UNITY (OAU) BETWEEN 1987 AND 1995 AND WAS 
APPOINTED IN 1996 AS ZIMBABWE'S PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE 
TO THE UNITED NATIONS.  HE ALSO SERVED AS A SPECIAL 
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OAU SECRETARY GENERAL TO RWANDA 
FROM 1992 TO 1995 AND LED THE OAU DELEGATION THAT 
BROKERED THE PEACE TALKS THAT RESULTED IN THE SIGNING OF 
THE ARUSHA PEACE AGREEMENT ON RWANDA.  MAPURANGA, 
ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTS, SERVED AS ZIMBABWE'S HIGH 
COMMISSIONER TO TANZANIA AND ZAMBIA AND AS DEPUTY 
PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS 
IN THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. 
 
2. (C) COMMENT: MAPURANGA IS A SMOOTH DIPLOMAT WHOSE 
PROMISING CAREER WAS SIDELINED BY THE APPOINTMENT OF 
WILLARD CHIWEWE AS SENIOR SECRETARY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
IN AUGUST 2000.  ALTHOUGH NO ONE IN THE NORMALLY 
SECRETIVE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS WOULD TALK ABOUT 
 
SIPDIS 
THE REASON FOR MAPURANGA'S ABRUPT REMOVAL, OBSERVERS 
HERE SPECULATE IT WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT HIS BROTHER, 
LEONARD MAPURANGA, RAN FOR PARLIAMENT IN GOROMONZI 
DISTRICT ON THE MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE TICKET. 
HE LOST TO THE CURRENT MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND 
TECHNOLOGY, HERBERT MURERWA.  MINISTER OF FOREIGN 
AFFAIRS STANISLAUS MUDENGE THEN PLACED DR. MAPURANGA IN 
CHARGE OF "SPECIAL PROJECTS," WHERE THE LATTER KEPT AN 
EXTREMELY LOW PROFILE UNTIL HIS CURRENT APPOINTMENT.  WE 
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SURMISE THAT MUDENGE MUST HAVE PERSONALLY INTERVENED TO 
RESCUE AND PLACE THE LOYAL AND CAPABLE MAPURANGA. 
 
3.  (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: WE FOUND MAPURANGA TO BE 
FORMAL AND CORRECT IN HIS DEALINGS WITH US (HE NEVER 
ASKED US TO REFER TO HIM AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN DR. 
MAPURANGA).  AN EXCEEDINGLY CAUTIOUS DIPLOMAT, HE NEVER 
REVEALED INFORMATION TO US THAT WE COULD NOT READ IN THE 
NEWSPAPER.  EVEN WHEN INFORMATION CAME FROM HIS 
GOVERNMENT, SUCH AS IN AUGUST 1999 WHEN THE CENTRAL 
INTELLIGENCE ORGANIZATION SOUGHT THE EXPULSION OF A 
USAID CONTRACTOR, MAPURANGA WOULD PRESENT HIS CASE IN 
SUCH AN ELLIPTICAL FASHION THAT IT WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY 
POSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE 
CONVERSATION.  FORMER UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER 
FOR REFUGEES REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE OLUSEYI BAJULAIYE 
TOLD US THAT HE RELIED HEAVILY ON HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH 
"MACH" MAPURANGA TO WORK THROUGH THE RELEASE OF THE TWO 
CUBAN DOCTORS WHO DEFECTED IN MAY 2000 IN ZIMBABWE. 
MAPURANGA IS CAPABLE OF TESTINESS, PARTICULARLY WHEN HE 
PERCEIVES AN INTERLOCUTOR TO SAY SOMETHING THAT HE 
PERCEIVES AS INFRINGING UPON ZIMBABWE'S SOVEREIGNTY.  HE 
IS MARRIED, DOES NOT SMOKE, AND DRINKS IN MODERATION. 
 
IRVING 
 
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