The treason trial of Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai resumed in the Harare High Court this week amid reports that the governing Zanu-PF is already backtracking on talks driven by African leaders to solve the country’s political and economic crisis.
Tsvangirai, who with two other senior MDC members is facing charges of plotting to assassinate President Robert Mugabe, is central to the crucial talks sponsored by South African President Thabo Mbeki, Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo and Malawi’s Bakili Muluzi.
It has, however, emerged that top Mugabe advisers are now secretly saying the talks between the Zimbabwean president and Tsvangirai, his main opponent, should only cover the way out of the present economic crisis and omit issues such as the need for an immediate transitional government.
Earlier indications were that the proposed talks would include the economic and political crisis, the transitional government and Mugabe’s early departure from office.
This week Tsvangirai was back in the dock to hear that Zimbabwean authorities had concealed key evidence that contradicted statements made by Ari ben Menashe, the Canadian wheeler-dealer who is the state’s chief witness against him.
Ben Menashe, who had been seeking Zimbabwean government contracts, claims that the former trade unionist sought his help to kill Mugabe shortly before the March 2002 presidential election, but that he (Ben Menashe) had spilled the beans.
Police Assistant Commissioner Moses Magandi told the court on Monday that his investigating team had made a decision to withhold the main transcript of a recorded conversation between Ben Menashe and the accused trio.
The transcript, prepared by Tara Thomas — an assistant to Ben Menashe who is also a key witness against Tsvangirai — was then replaced by a version made by a Zimbabwean government transcriber.
Magandi also contradicted Ben Menashe, telling the court that he knew nothing of the $10-million supposedly offered by the British and United States intelligence to finance Mugabe’s assassination.
Ben Menashe told Judge Paddington Garwe in February that the British government and the CIA had assisted in plotting Mugabe’s assassination and pledged about $10-million to the cause.
“I did not know about them until I read about them in newspapers when this trial started,” Magandi — a member of a four-man team that investigated the alleged assassination plot — told the court.
South African advocate George Bizos, who is leading Tsvangirai’s defence, tore Magandi’s testimony to shreds, pointing out other glaring differences between his statement and that given earlier by Ben Menashe.
The trial resumed in a low key compared to the excitement when it began in February. Then scores of diplomats and journalists were among hundreds of interested people turned away from the packed court room and surrounding premises by police in riot gear.
Analysts said this week Tsvangirai’s trial and his pending court action against Mugabe’s 2002 electoral victory were now real impediments to the success of the proposed dialogue between the two parties.
Official MDC sources said stringent travel restrictions imposed on Tsvangirai were hampering the MDC leader from participating fully in the preparation of the talks backed by the three African leaders, and might be an obstacle to finding a solution to Zimbabwe’s problems.
Tsvangirai’s travel documents were impounded by the police when the treason trial started and the opposition leader is unlikely to travel to Malawi as part of efforts by Muluzi to get the dialogue moving, party insiders said this week.