Denford Magora's Zimbabwe Blog

This is coming just two days after the Service Chiefs waded into the fray in support of the cornered Governor. This has clearly rattled the MDC-T. Tsvangirai, especially, seems so mortified of upsetting the Generals.

He told the New York Times this year, "We had won the election but did not have the support of the military" in justifying why he decided to play second-fiddle to the man he had defeated at elections.

"We can not unravel the tentacles of the State without Mugabe," Tsvangirai said.

There will be an excuse. Perhaps one is being forged now, to explain why they must remain at Mugabe's side even after they fail to dislodge Tomana.

So Gono is not such a big deal after all. Were these not the very issues that had the Prime Minister refusing to consummate his marriage to ZANU PF all through the last six months of 2008?

If they were so important, what has changed? Will the donors whom we are told want Gono gone in order to bring in money bring it in anyway? Just because the MDC-T says it's Ok to do so? You see his happening?

I don't.

Their argument rests on the blind faith that the strategy adopted by Tsvangirai, of going into government literally to hack away at the ZANU PF institution that is government, will triumph.

Others, like myself, look for signs as to whether this strategy is likely to come off. If it was, we should be seeing Tsvangirai outwit Mugabe on the peripheral issues that now seize them. That we are not seeing this, and only witness capitulation after capitulation from Tsvangirai, makes us less confident that he will indeed be able to work his way around the dictator.

What did I tell you?

I told you at the weekend that Gideon Gono, in putting his resignation to the president at his home in Helensvale, had said no ZANU PF leader was standing up for him even as he was vilified in public by the MDC-T.

He is said to have told the dictator. that he felt he was not wanted anymore.

On Monday, Mugabe duly oblidged and made a public statement (below) at the funeral of the Governor's brother. By now, if you have not been on Mars, you know what the old dictator said.

Chinamasa, betraying the fact that Mugabe has now briefed the so-called heavyweights in ZANU PF on the "resignation" of Saturday, addressed Gono saying, "You may have been wondering where all the people who wrote those letters to you are now." (Meaning the written authorisations that Gono says he has for ALL his actions from several Finance Ministers that he served under.)

Chinamasa said he was one such Finance Minister who gave Gono orders and anyone who keeps saying Gono must Go is also saying ZANU PF must go.

Being seen in this light by Mugabe is not part of the Prime Minister's strategy. Therefore, I can assure you that as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow, the PM is going to decide that it is simply too costly to his continued stay in government to push Mugabe too far on the issue of Gono and Tomana.

Still, it is strange that there is this much focus on a single man while the nation continues to burn (see three articles below). We have more substantive issues to deal with: the constitution, the repeal of AIPPA (which is still operational despite what the Prime Minister says) and POSA, a new Electoral Commission and many other things that would level the playing field in Zimbabwe.

If we are facing such spirited fights now over people, what more when it comes to a new Electoral Commission? Will Mugabe agree to disband his "retired military chakuti"-filled Electoral Commission and leave the appointments to a neutral recommending body?

Will he or won't he?

I rather doubt he will and I think the Prime Minister is fearing to "go there" because he knows just how bruising that battle is going to be. If he insists on staying in government after that (when it does happen), then he will be finished as a political force in Zimbabwe.

We watch and wait.

Mugabe, for the first time since the Inclusive Government was launched, publicly stated that the Governor is not going anywhere.

This comes hot on the heels of the resignation of the RBZ governor at the president's mansion in Helensvale. Gono, as I told in a previous article on this blog, complained to Mugabe on the day that no one from ZANU PF was standing up for him despite the fact that he was being "victimised for supporting them."

It appears Mugabe took this a direct challenge. It is also probable that, just like the rest of the people in ZANU PF, he has now heard of Gono's fear that Mugabe may well sacrifice him to Biti and Tsvangirai in return for getting much-needed aid from outside Zimbabwe.

This was a real fear in the Gono camp.

It appears the Governor got even more rattled when Morgan Tsvangirai announced that agreement had been reached on Governors, who would be laid off and paid off.

Gono thought he could also be forced into early retirement and be paid off compensation for cutting short his tenure. If Mugabe could let go of Governors, was anyone safe?

Mugabe, speaking at the funeral of Gono's brother today, Monday 25 April, used the occasion to state unequivocally that Gono was not going to be sacrificed, despite the calls from Western capitals, Bretton Wooods and other donors.

The dictator went further.

He also acknowledged that within the Inclusive Government, there are people who also want Gono gone. Although he did not name them, it is clear who he refers to.

After all, it was only last week that Prime Mnister Tsvangirai told a packed press conference at Munhumutapa Building that he and the other Principals would refer the matter to SADC.

In other words, Mugabe told the world today that whatever the Prime Minister says, it is of no consequence whatsoever. Like it or not, Mugabe, says, Gono will stay. SADC or no SADC. Which means there is little point to the whole pursuit of the matter.

But Gono now has public backing from his patron, who had maintained silence on the matter for months now. Gono can now wave that approval in the face of not only the Prime Minister but also the Finance Minister, who most probably will not be able to amend the RBZ Act as he wishes and will be blocked first in parliament and then at the stage of signing into law by Mugabe, should it get that far.

Now, you may also hear from Mugabe's cronies and ministers. They may start also publicly defending the Governor.

Somehow, I think it unlikely because Mugabe is running a very tight ship. He has told his Politburo that "it is me they are after. Let me deal with them." Which means dispute resolutions or positions will only be communicated once the President says so.

This is also why, through all of this nonsense, we never heard from ZANU PF in public. They are under orders to keep silent. And when people like George Charamba speak, it is with feigned ignorance of what is taking place in the negotiations. They are under orders to appear respectful at all times.

This is also the very reason why that letter said to be from Gono, is a fake. It would be insubordinate of him to appeal to the Prime Minister and smear Tendai Biti like that. The MDC would have found something to take to Mugabe.

Still, we know now that Gono stays and there's an end to the matter.

This is happening while, as you can see at the very top of these photos, treated water is left to gush out of pipes all over the city. I took these pictures today and the ones of the treated water gushing away were all taken within one block between Eastgate and Parliament in Harare.

Dr Makoni, Mrs Makoni and thousands of Mavambo supporters gave him a fitting send-off on Saturday at his rural home in Rusape, where he was laid to rest.

The headman and chiefs from the area also attended.

Speaking at the funeral, Dr Makoni (who received a tumultous welcome) bemoaned the continued suffering of the people of Zimbabwe, saying the country is not working and that if it was working, George would perhaps not even have gone to South Africa, because business would be alright in Zimbabwe.

Dr Makoni also bemoaned the collapse of the health and edcucation infrastructure in Zimbabwe, saying "our kids today are getting a worse education than ever before."

He assured the gathering, which included countless people in Mavambo T-shirts, dancing and singing, (we ran out of T-shirts at the event as people kept clamouring for them) that the Mavambo party would be launched very soon to give people a true alternative to the moribund Government of National Unity.

Here's yet another scoop from this blog! Following hot on the heels of my scoop that the letter supposedly written by Gono was in fact written by George Charamba and is designed simply to expose the fact that the MDC-T "has done nothing since assuming power)

Gideon Gono, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, handed a letter of resignation on Saturday morning to dictator Robert Mugabe just as he was about to leave for his rural home in Zvimba from his Helensvale home.

Gono lives just up the road from Mugabe in the posh area and delivered the letter personally to Mugabe.

In a move that shows just who it is that is scuppering the Global Political Agreement, Mugabe is said to have refused to accept the resignation.

Gono, however, was insistent that no ZANU PF minister is standing up for him, not one is fighting from his corner except President Mugabe himself.

But the dictator, who has told Gono that he must hold his horses because the fight here is between the dictator and Tsvangirai, was apparently dismissive of Gono's move.

Gono was still insisting yesterday that his only option is to walk, claiming that, in doing so, he is going to show ZANU PF ministers and officials, whom he claims benefitted from his largesse, that they would also be exposed in the process.

For some time now, Gono has been bitter that the whole of ZANU PF has remained silent while he is hung out to dry by Biti.

He has not been sure whether Mugabe will hold fast in his refusal to let him go. My own assessment of his latest move is that it is designed specifically to test just how steadfast Mugabe is in his support. People close to the Governor say if he gets the impression that Mugabe is indeed willing to let the GNU fail on account of the Gono and Tomana issue, the governor could well be persuaded that he has a future.

Gono also told the president that he has essentially been made a lame-duck Governor by Tendai Biti, who has taken away pretty much all of the functions that used to give the Central Bank a source of income.

The Reserve Bank is now struggling to fund its own operations, with Biti insisting that the 6000 people that Gono has hired at the Central Bank are not needed (he calls them a parallel government) and refusing to fund their salaries. So, even as I write, RBZ staff are not being paid their salaries because Gono's coffers are dry.

You will recall that I told you soon after Biti's budget statement that the Finance minister and the MDC were vowing that, within six months, Gono will have to come to Treasury (Finance Ministry) to ask for funds to keep the central bank going.

What Gono fears, though, is to wake up one day and find that Mugabe has struck a deal over him with Tsvangirai.

The events of Saturday seem to show that Mugabe is unwilling to let his personal banker go.

Tsvangirai himself, who told the Financial Times at Jacob Zuma's inauguration that "it is not helpful to jump on the Gideon Gono bandwagon", will need to refer the matter to SADC if he is keen on getting the man to go.

As things stand, Tendai Biti and others are of the opinion that Tsvangirai will not do this, hiding instead behind the anthem that ALL principals need to AGREE to refer the matter to SADC for the matter to be referred there.

You will notice that Biti has now resorted to making moves on the legislative front to curtail and reorganise the Reserve Bank. This he is doing because he has lost hope that Gono will indeed go. Advice given to Biti by the IMF during recent consultations will inform the legal measures Biti will take to try and bolster confidence in the RBZ amongst donors and Bretton Woods institutions.

Still, it appears that Gono has now reached a stage where he is willing to walk unless ZANU PF becomes more vocal in supporting his continued stay at the Central Bank.