Does Mnangagwa own The New First National Bank of Congo

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.



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FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7238
INFO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 
NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RWANDA COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 005579 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 
LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY 
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 
USUN FOR HOLBROOKE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/10 
SUBJECT: MNANGAGWA ON KABILA'S VISIT TO HARARE 
 
REFS: A) HARARE 5464, B) HARARE 5137 
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CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR TOM MCDONALD.  REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY: AMBASSADOR MCDONALD VISITED SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT 
AND DROC INTERLOCUTOR EMMERSON MNANGAGWA SEPTEMBER 29 TO TRY TO GET 
A READOUT OF KABILA'S BRIEF HARARE VISIT THE PREVIOUS DAY.  ALTHOUGH 
MNANGAGWA DID NOT SIT IN ON KABILA'S MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MUGABE 
(HE IS TRYING TO "PHASE OUT" HIS OFFICIAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE DROC), 
HE LATER SPOKE BY PHONE TO KABILA, AND THE GOVERNOR OF KATANGA, WHO 
ACCOMPANIED THE CONGOLESE PRESIDENT.  MNANGAGWA ASSERTED THAT KABILA 
INTENDED TO ENSURE THAT HE AND HIS PRINCIPAL ALLY STAY ON TRACK VIS- 
A-VIS LUSAKA AND AVOID ANY "DRIFT" IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP.  WE WILL 
DIG DEEPER WITH OTHER INTERLOCUTORS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS TO 
DETERMINE WHETHER KABILA SUCCEEDED IN THAT OBJECTIVE.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (C) AMBASSADOR AND POLOFF CALLED ON SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT AND DROC 
INTERLOCUTOR EMMERSON MNANGAGWA SEPTEMBER 29 TO OBTAIN A READOUT 
OF KABILA'S VISIT WITH PRESIDENT MUGABE THE PREVIOUS DAY.  ONCE AGAIN, 
MNANGAGWA COYLY STATED THAT HE WAS NO LONGER "OFFICIALLY" INVOLVED 
IN DROC MATTERS.  THE SPEAKER DID SAY THAT HE SPOKE TO KABILA BY PHONE 
AFTER THE MEETING, AND THAT FOREIGN MINISTER MUDENGE, GENERAL 
ZVINAVASHE, COMMANDER OF THE ZIMBABWE DEFENSE FORCE, AND THE 
GOVERNOR OF KATANGA PARTICIPATED IN THE MEETING.  KABILA CAME TO 
HARARE AT THE INVITATION OF PRESIDENT MUGABE TO KEEP LUSAKA ON TRACK 
AND ENSURE THERE WAS NO "DRIFT" IN THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP, 
ACCORDING TO MNANGAGWA.  THE SPEAKER ALSO SPOKE AT LENGTH BY PHONE 
WITH THE KATANGAN GOVERNOR, BUT WOULD NOT DIVULGE THE SUBJECT OF 
THAT CONVERSATION. 
 
¶3.  (C) WHEN ASKED ABOUT ZIMBABWE'S APPARENT PLANS TO PARTIALLY 
WITHDRAWAL FROM THE DROC (REF A), MNANGAGWA SAID THE PLANS FOR 
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WITHDRAWAL ARE COMPLETE AND HAVE BEEN FOR A WHILE.  GENERAL 
ZVINAVASHE WAS DUE TO BRIEF HIM LATER IN THE DAY ON THE KABILA MEETING 
AND WITHDRAWAL PLANS.  MNANGAGWA DID SAY THAT THE NUMBER OF 
ZIMBABWEAN TROOPS IN DROC IS ALREADY FEWER THAN THE 11,000 FIGURE 
COMMONLY QUOTED IN THE MEDIA, BUT DID NOT PROVIDE HIS OWN FIGURE. 
 
¶4.  (C) MNANGAGWA REVEALED THAT HE IS GOING TO LUBUMBASHI WITH 
PRESIDENT MUGABE ON OCTOBER 2 TO OPEN THE NEW FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF 
CONGO, WHICH HAS GIVEN A FIVE-YEAR MANAGEMENT CONTRACT TO THE FIRST 
BANKING CORPORATION OF ZIMBABWE.  THE NEW CONGOLESE BANK WILL BE 
CHAIRED BY MNANGAGWA AND MANAGED BY JOHN MUSHAWARA, A ZIMBABWEAN 
NATIONAL.  THE ZIMBABWEAN MANAGEMENT COMPANY WILL TRAIN ENGLISH- 
AND FRENCH-SPEAKING CONGOLESE STAFF AND MANAGERS, AND THE BANK WILL 
HELP FACILITATE TRADE BETWEEN ZIMBABWE AND THE DROC.  MNANGAGWA 
ADDED THAT HE HAD NOT YET BEEN TO THE DROC THIS MONTH; AS REPORTED REF 
B, HE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT HE WOULD BE TRAVELING THERE A FEW WEEKS AGO. 
 
¶5.  (C) COMMENT: THE TIGHT-LIPPED MNANGAGWA IS CLEARLY 
TRYING TO GIVE US THE IMPRESSION HE IS NO LONGER DEEPLY 
INVOLVED IN THE DROC, BUT HIS ONGOING AND EVER-GROWING 
FINANCIAL INTERESTS THERE BELIE THAT CLAIM.  ALTHOUGH HE 
MAY NOT PARTICIPATE IN ALL THE HIGH-LEVEL DROC MEETINGS 
HE USED TO, HE STILL HAS A PARAMOUNT INTEREST IN 
MAINTAINING HIS OLD CONTACTS.  HIS CONVERSATION WITH THE 
KATANGAN GOVERNOR COULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT THE EXTENSIVE 
MINING CONCESSIONS MNANGAGWA HAS A STAKE IN THERE, OR IT 
COULD HAVE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH A PARTIAL TROOP 
WITHDRAWAL, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF HIS PENDING BRIEFING 
WITH ZVINAVASHE (MOST OF ZIMBABWE'S TROOPS ARE IN 
KATANGA).  WE WILL DIG DEEPER WITH OTHER INTERLOCUTORS 
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS TO DETERMINE WHETHER KABILA'S 
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VISIT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON ALLAYING ZIMBABWE'S 
FRUSTRATION WITH ITS RECALCITRANT ALLY, AND ITS EVENTUAL 
WITHDRAWAL.  END COMMENT. 
 
MCDONALD 
 
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