Zimbabwe negotiators hunt mole, sell world media a dummy

Zimbabwe negotiators hunt mole, sell world media a dummy

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By Mduduzi Mathuthu

NEGOTIATORS from Zimbabwe’s major political parties sold the world media a dummy on Monday after a story “leaked” out suggesting power-sharing talks being held in Pretoria, South Africa, had broken down, New Zimbabwe.com can reveal.

The story is untrue.

The real aim of the leak, this website has learnt, was to smoke out a mole on the periphery of the talks thought to be selling stories to the media – against the spirit of a media blackout agreed between the negotiators.

The South African government, which is facilitating the talks, denied any knowledge of the talks breaking down after the Associated Press ran the false story – leaked to Johannesburg Bureau reporter Michelle Faul. Much later, the Reuters news agency also fell for the trap.

New Zimbabwe.com has learnt that the negotiators were uneasy with a group of officials – mainly from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai – seconded to shadow the party’s chief negotiators Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma.

On top of the two negotiators allowed for each of the three parties – Zanu PF, MDC-T and MDC – at least two “support officers” from each party are allowed to sit through the meetings.

New Zimbabwe.com has confirmed with several sources that MDC-T has Lovemore Moyo and Theresa Makone as support officers and the MDC has Moses Mzila and Miriam Mushayi. They sit through the talks but offer no input, only discussing privately with the appointed negotiators at intervals. It was not immediately possible to confirm the Zanu PF ‘support officers’.

On Monday, a South African newspaper reported that MDC-T had sent a “technical team” to the talks which includes his political adviser Jameson Timba, Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro and Innocent Chagonda. Also present at the talks in an unexplained capacity is Isaac Maposa of the Zimbabwe Institute, the Cape Argus reported.

New Zimbabwe.com understands that all the negotiators took a decision to brief one or more of the officials on the periphery of the talks with a “false story” to see how long it took for it to get out.

In no time, the “mole” had contacted the Associated Press and the story was soon picked up by world media – including the BBC which had quotes from its own MDC sources suggesting the talks had broken down over Zanu PF’s insistence that Tsvangirai must be a third Vice President.

The Associated Press, again quoting MDC sources, said Zanu PF negotiators Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche were on their way back to Harare “to consult with President Robert Mugabe”. None of this is true, authoritative sources tell New Zimbabwe.com.

President Mugabe, Tsvangirai and MDC leader Arthur Mutambara all signed a historic memorandum of understanding which prohibits the parties from talking to the media in any detail about the talks.
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