US embassy cable - 02HARARE572

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000572 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR AF, PDAS BELLAMY; ALSO FOR AF/S 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/03 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, PGOV, PINR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MORE ON TSVANGIRAI'S ALLEGED "PLOT" TO 
         "ELIMINATE" MUGABE 
 
REF: A) HARARE 411 B) HARARE 501 
 
CLASSIFIED BY DCM REWHITEHEAD DUE TO 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  THE GOZ FIRED ANOTHER OFF-TARGET 
SALVO IN ITS CONTINUING ATTEMPT TO DISCREDIT MDC 
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MORGAN TSVANGIRAI THROUGH 
ACCUSATIONS THAT HE APPROACHED THE CANADIAN DICKENS AND 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  00572  01 OF 02  051236Z 
MADSON LOBBYING FIRM, HEADED BY ONE ARI BEN MENASHE, TO 
ARRANGE THE "ASSASSINATION" OF PRESIDENT MUGABE (REFS A 
AND B).  A MARCH 3 ZBC TELEVISION BROADCAST AGAIN SHOWED 
FILM CLIPS OF TSVANGIRAI TALKING WITH BEN MENASHE AND 
OTHER UNIDENTIFIED OBSERVERS.  A SECOND SEGMENT OF THE 
ZBC PROGRAM FEATURED AIR FORCE COMMANDER PERENCE SHIRI 
DESCRIBING A SECOND MEETING WITH MDC MPS JOB SIKHALA AND 
TAFADZWA MUSEKIWA, WHOM SHIRI CLAIMED HAD OFFERED HIM A 
HEFTY FEE TO ASSIST THE MDC WITH A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO 
POWER AFTER THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.  THE ENTIRE ZBC 
PROGRAM WAS AMATEURISH TO THE EXTREME AND OFFERED LITTLE 
CONVINCING EVIDENCE TO BUTTRESS THE GOZ'S CASE (OR 
ELECTORAL STRENGTH).  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION GLEANED 
FROM CANADIAN DIPLOMATS SHEDS LIGHT ON TSVANGIRAI'S 
MOTIVE FOR MEETING BEN MENASHE AND COMPANY, BUT BRINGS 
INTO QUESTION HIS JUDGMENT IN THIS AFFAIR.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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FIRING A DUD 
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2.  (U) THE MUCH ANTICIPATED TELEVISION EXPOSE ON MORGAN 
TSVANGIRAI'S ALLEGED PLOT TO ASSASSINATE PRESIDENT 
 
SIPDIS 
MUGABE TURNED OUT TO BE MUCH ADO ABOUT LITTLE.  THE 
PROGRAM OPENED WITH A REBROADCAST OF THE GRAINY AND 
OFTEN INAUDIBLE FILM CLIPS OF TSVANGIRAI, ARI BEN 
MENASHE, BEN MENASHE'S CONSULTING COHORT, AND TWO OTHER 
INDIVIDUALS WHO COULD NOT BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED IN THE 
TAPE.  AN UNCONVINCING SPLICE JOB DID LITTLE TO ENHANCE 
THE CREDIBILITY OF THE TAPE, IN WHICH TSVANGIRAI -- 
FOLLOWING CONSIDERABLE PROMPTING AND POSSIBLY SPLICED 
OUT OF CONTEXT -- REFERS TO THE "ELIMINATION" OF MUGABE 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  00572  01 OF 02  051236Z 
AND A THREE-PHASE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD THAT INCLUDES 
DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS. 
 
3. THE EXPOSE NEXT FEATURED CLIPS OF TSVANGIRAI DENYING 
INVOLVEMENT IN ANY PLOT, THEN BEN MENASHE (AN OLD MUGABE 
ACQUAINTANCE WHO FORMERLY HAD A BUSINESS ARRANGEMENT 
WITH SHIRI) CALLING TSVANGIRAI A LIAR AND PIOUSLY 
INTONING THAT HE HAD BEEN FORCED TO DO THE RIGHT THING 
AND EXPOSE THE PLOT.  AN AUSTRALIAN INVESTIGATIVE 
FILMMAKER WHO HAD PRODUCED AN HOUR-LONG TELEVISION 
SEGMENT OUT OF THE TAPE, LARGELY DEPENDING ON VOICE OVER 
TECHNIQUES, DEFENDED HIS ROLE.  THE ZBC BROADCAST THEN 
RETURNED TO THE NEWS ANNOUNCER, WHO OPENLY GLOATED OVER 
TSVANGIRAI'S PLIGHT.  AIR FORCE COMMANDER SHIRI WAS NEXT 
 
SIPDIS 
IN LINE.  FOLLOWING A TELEVISED PAN OF HIS FLEET OF 
PLASTIC MODEL AIRPLANES, A CAMERA SHY SHIRI DESCRIBED 
HOW MDC MPS SIKHALA AND MUSEKIWA HAD OFFERED HIM A 10 
MILLION ZIMBABWEAN DOLLAR FEE TO HELP THE MDC ENGINEER A 
SMOOTH TRANSFER OF POWER FOLLOWING THE PRESIDENTIAL 
ELECTIONS.  AS PROOF, SHIRI PLAYED A TAPE HE HAD MADE OF 
THE MEETING.  THE RECORDING WAS SO INAUDIBLE THAT AT 
MOST TIMES IT WAS DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN WHAT LANGUAGE 
THEY PARTICIPANTS WERE SPEAKING, LET ALONE WHAT THEY 
WERE SAYING. 
 
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A COMIC FARCE 
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4.  (C) THE ENTIRE BROADCAST CAME ACROSS AS FARCICAL. 
IT BEGAN TWENTY MINUTES LATE AND WAS INTERRUPTED BY A 
LONG PERIOD OF VIDEO MUSIC CLIPS BEFORE THE SHIRI 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        HARARE  00572  01 OF 02  051236Z 
SEGMENT BEGAN, PROMPTING ONE TO SPECULATE THAT SOMEONE 
IN ZBC HAD SECOND THOUGHTS ON THE WISDOM OF EVEN AIRING 
THE PROGRAM.  THE TSVANGIRAI/BEN MENASHE SEGMENT 
INDICATED THAT TSVANGIRAI DID IN SOME CONTEXT USE THE 
WORDS "ELIMINATE" AND "MUGABE" IN PROXIMITY, BUT WITH NO 
CLEAR REFERENCE TO WHETHER THIS WAS POLITICAL IN NATURE, 
OR OTHERWISE.  UNLIKE MANY OF HIS GOZ COLLEAGUES, SHIRI 
IS NOT PARTICULARLY ADEPT AT PUBLICLY TWISTING THE TRUTH 
AND CAME ACROSS AS MENDACIOUS AND ILL AT EASE.  WERE THE 
SUBJECT MATTER AND THE STAKES NOT SO SERIOUS, THE ENTIRE 
AMATEURISH PRODUCTION WOULD HAVE BEEN GENUINELY COMICAL 
FARE. 
 
---------------------- 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
---------------------- 
5.  (C) CANADIAN DCM RONALD WILLSON PROVIDED THE DCM 
WITH BACKGROUND ON THE BEN MENASHE MEETING THAT SHEDS 
LIGHT ON HOW TSVANGIRAI HAD BEEN DUPED INTO THE 
UNFORTUNATE ENCOUNTER IN THE FIRST PLACE.  WILSON SAID 
THAT MDC SECRETARY GENERAL WELSHMAN NCUBE HAD CONFIDED 
TO HIM THAT THE TWO UNIDENTIFIED MEN IN THE TAPE HAD 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ4659 
 
PAGE 01        HARARE  00572  02 OF 02  051236Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    ACQ-00   CIAE-00  INL-00   DODE-00  DOTE-00 
      DS-00    EAP-00   EB-00    FAAE-00  FBIE-00  VC-00    TEDE-00 
      INR-00   VCE-00   NSAE-00  SSO-00   SS-00    DSCC-00  DRL-02 
      NFAT-00  SAS-00     /002W 
                  ------------------6FA3FB  051236Z /38 
O 051230Z MAR 02 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1097 
INFO AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000572 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR AF, PDAS BELLAMY; ALSO FOR AF/S 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/03 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MORE ON TSVANGIRAI'S ALLEGED "PLOT" TO 
         "ELIMINATE" MUGABE 
 
BEEN INTRODUCED TO TSVANGIRAI PRIOR TO THE MEETING AS, 
RESPECTIVELY, THE DEPUTY DIRECTORS OF THE CIA AND NSA. 
ACCORDING TO NCUBE, TSVANGIRAI HAD TAKEN THE CLAIMS OF 
THE TWO IMPERSONATORS AT FACE VALUE.  THE CANADIANS ALSO 
INFORMED US THAT A SENIOR CIO OFFICIAL TRAVELED TO 
MONTREAL AT THE TIME OF THE MONTREAL MEETING. STATE 
SECURITY MINISTER GOCHE ALSO TRAVELED TO MONTREAL IN 
FEBRUARY JUST PRIOR TO THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN AIRING OF 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  00572  02 OF 02  051236Z 
THE VIDEO. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6.  (C) UNLESS MUGABE AND HIS BACKERS HAVE MORE 
COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAN THAT PRESENTED IN THE 
BROADCAST, IT IS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THAT TSVANGIRAI 
AND HIS ASSOCIATE ARE IN MUCH DANGER OF BEING CONVICTED 
IN AN IMPARTIAL COURT OF LAW.  WE OBVIOUSLY DO NOT 
DISCOUNT THE ABILITY OF THE GOZ TO STRING OUT THE CASE 
AND HARASS TSVANGIRAI AT THE TIME OF ITS OWN CHOOSING. 
THE MONTY-PYTHONESQUE NATURE OF THE ZBC BROADCAST OFFERS 
LITTLE TO CONVINCE THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THAT THE 
ENTIRE AFFAIR IS MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER ITEM PULLED OUT 
OF THE GOZ'S BAG OF DIRTY TRICKS.  IN TERMS OF 
ELECTIONS, WE THINK THAT THE ENTIRE AFFAIR IS A NON- 
EVENT.  THOSE INCLINED TO BELIEVE THE TAPE PROBABLY WILL 
DO SO, AND THOSE NOT SO INCLINED WILL NOT.  WE NOTE, 
HOWEVER, THAT IN TERMS OF GOOD JUDGMENT AND ADEQUATE 
STAFF WORK, THE MONTREAL MEETING WAS NOT MORGAN 
TSVANGIRAI'S FINEST HOUR. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SULLIVAN 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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