News / National
Gono wanted to collapse the economy for regime change
04 Oct 2011 at 08:41hrs | Views
Former Information and Publicity Minister and Zanu-PF politburo member Jonathan Moyo on Thursday launched an astonishing attack on Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono saying revelations in leaked US diplomatic cables that he had a close relationship with the Americans was disturbing.
Moyo made the attack during a lecture at SAPES Trust on the cables leaked by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.
Some of the cables claimed Gono had met US ambassadors and spoke to them about President Robert Mugabe's health and power dynamics in Zanu-PF.
Moyo said the underlying messages in the cables showed that attempts by US diplomats to push for regime change in Zimbabwe was in three phases.
He said the first phase was to alienate Mugabe from Zanu-PF.
"The second phase was the destruction of the economy characterised by the collapse of the Zimbabwean dollar," he claimed.
"Then we had an RBZ governor who said economic collapse was a precursor to real change, whatever that meant.
"The RBZ was on autopilot and accountable to nobody, they were involved in monetary, fiscal issues and political issues, things they shouldn't ordinarily be involved in.
"While everyone else was involved on the political front, they were busy engaging in endless discussions with the Americans and that is very unacceptable."
He said the third phase involved isolating Mugabe from the securocrats, which he said had failed.
The political scientist who was described by former US ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell in one of the cables as a useful messenger vigorously defended his own interactions with the Americans.
He said during that period between 2005 and 2007 he felt "lonely" as he was ostracised Zanu-PF colleagues and needed people he could talk to.
Moyo had been expelled from Zanu-PF for his role in the so-called Tsholotsho Declaration where a faction linked to Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa was accused of plotting to topple Mugabe.
Moyo made the attack during a lecture at SAPES Trust on the cables leaked by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.
Some of the cables claimed Gono had met US ambassadors and spoke to them about President Robert Mugabe's health and power dynamics in Zanu-PF.
Moyo said the underlying messages in the cables showed that attempts by US diplomats to push for regime change in Zimbabwe was in three phases.
He said the first phase was to alienate Mugabe from Zanu-PF.
"The second phase was the destruction of the economy characterised by the collapse of the Zimbabwean dollar," he claimed.
"Then we had an RBZ governor who said economic collapse was a precursor to real change, whatever that meant.
"The RBZ was on autopilot and accountable to nobody, they were involved in monetary, fiscal issues and political issues, things they shouldn't ordinarily be involved in.
"While everyone else was involved on the political front, they were busy engaging in endless discussions with the Americans and that is very unacceptable."
He said the third phase involved isolating Mugabe from the securocrats, which he said had failed.
The political scientist who was described by former US ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell in one of the cables as a useful messenger vigorously defended his own interactions with the Americans.
He said during that period between 2005 and 2007 he felt "lonely" as he was ostracised Zanu-PF colleagues and needed people he could talk to.
Moyo had been expelled from Zanu-PF for his role in the so-called Tsholotsho Declaration where a faction linked to Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa was accused of plotting to topple Mugabe.
Source - Radio VOP
