Wikileaks has left Mugabe stronger than ever before: Prof Moyo

The clear US policy objective that runs throughout the cables was to effect "regime change" (destroying Zimbabwe's foundation in terms of its liberation legacy and replacing it with a neo-liberal pro-market foundation opposed to indigenisation and economic empowerment) as the first prize and "leadership change" (electoral change of leadership to provide a new roof without changing the foundation of the house) as the second prize said Professor Jonathan Moyo during a lecture in Harare.

Prof Moyo says it is important to remember that all of the 251,287, including 2,998 on Zimbabwe, are out and they have been out since August 30. When you read a newspaper report claiming that they have a new or latest cable about so and so or this and that; they would be peddling a falsehood because all cables have been out since August 30.

While these cables extend over a 44-year period from 1966 to February 2010 covering 274 US diplomatic missions around the world, Prof Moyo noted that the 2,998 on Zimbabwe–which is the third largest number on Africa after Sudan and Nigeria'started in 1988, which has 2 cables, 1989 had one cable; there was none in 1990 even though we had a historic election which sealed the fate of the one party state; there are 2 for 1992; none in 1993 and one each year from 1994 to 1997; and none in 1998 the year when dialogue between the Government of Zimbabwe and the donor community collapsed and in 1999 the year of the historic Constitutional Commission was launched which is also the year when MDC was formed.

"The cable floodgates opened in 2000 with a deluge that became dramatic in 2003 reaching its peak in 2005 which remained active until 2008 with the signing of the GPA after which there was a noticeable decline with the formation of the GPA government in 2009 and with the engagement of the US Embassy becoming more regionally and internationally focussed than ever before.

Otherwise, without any doubt whatsoever, the most pervasive issue in the cables between 2000 and 2008 is the obsession with President Mugabe's succession as the focus of three processes which the Americans saw as complementary, " added Prof Moyo.

Prof Moyo says one of the national implication of the US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks is that the strategy to isolate President Mugabe from Zanu PF, SADC and the Security Sector is precisely what is exposed by the WikiLeaks thereby leaving President Mugabe stronger than ever before. Yes, the strongest politician in Zimbabwe today, thanks to WikiLeaks, is President Mugabe.