Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 3411 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden Editorial United States Latin America Egypt

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 86 88 89 90 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1986/05
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08
2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/07 2001/10
2002/02 2002/03 2002/11
2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Amsterdam American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone
Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hamburg
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy La Paz Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Maputo Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey
Embassy New Delhi Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Consulate Vladivostok
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AO AF AL AE ASEC AORC AJ AM AR AEMR AMGT APER AG AS AU AGMT AFIN ABUD ATRN ACOA AEC AX AMED ADCO AODE AFFAIRS AC ASIG ABLD AA AFU ASUP
BM BIDEN BO BR BU BEXP BRUSSELS BL BK BA BILAT BTIO BH BE BX BY BG BF BB BC BBSR
CU CH CO CI COUNTERTERRORISM CA CY CVIS CMGT CASC CJAN CE COUNTER CBW CG CLINTON CDG CIA CACM CDB CS CD CV CF CN CAN CIS CM CONDOLEEZZA COE CR CTM COUNTRY CLEARANCE CPAS CWC CT CKGR CB CACS
DOD DJ DA DEAX DR DHS DOE DEA DK DISENGAGEMENT
ETRD EFIN EAID ES ECON EWWT EINVEFIN ELAB EU ETTC ENRG EUN EC EG EINV EXTERNAL ER ECIN EPET EAGR EIND ECPS EMIN ECIP EINDETRD EN EZ ET EUC EI EAIR ELTN EREL EFIS EINT ENVR ECA EINVETC ENIV EINN ENGR EUR ESA ELECTIONS ECUN
FR FMLN FARC FJ FINR FAO FTAA FREEDOM FI FBI
GG GM GOI GZ GTMO GV GH GA GE GT GR GTIP GCC GAZA
HO HURI HILLARY HA HU HR HUMAN HYMPSK HK
IR IZ IN IS IMO INTERPOL IT INRB IAEA ID IV ICTY IQ ICAO IPR IRAJ INRA INRO IC IIP ITPHUM IWC IO ISRAELI IRAQI ICRC IF ILC IEFIN INTELSAT ITALY ITALIAN
JO JA JOSEPH JAMES JUS
KDEM KIRF KNNP KN KISL KJUS KTFN KWBG KPAL KPKO KSCA KCRM KR KWMN KU KV KE KCOR KPAO KG KTIP KICC KBCT KSPR KHLS KTIA KMDR KGHG KUNR KS KFRD KIPR KAWC KPWR KCIP KSUM KWAC KMIG KOLY KZ KAWK KSEC KIFR KDRG KDEMAF KFIN KGCC KPIN KBIO KHIV KNUC KPLS KIRC KACT KGIC KRAD KCOM KMCA KHDP KVPR KDEV KPRP KCFE KOCI KTDB KMRS KLIG KGIT KSTC KPAK KNEI KSEP KPOA KFLU KNUP KNNPMNUC KOMC KO KTER KHUM KRFD KBTR KDDG KWWMN KFLO KSAF KBTS KPRV KMPI KNPP
LY LG LE LH LU LI LO LOG
MTCRE MOPS MARR MO MASS MNUC MY MX MCAP MPOS MAR MD MZ MEPP MA MR ML MIL MOPPS MTCR MAPP MU MG MASC MCC MK MTRE MP MDC MEPI MRCRE MI MT MQADHAFI MAPS MUCN
NATO NL NI NZ NG NU NO NIPP NE NS NAR NPT NPG NK NSG NA NT NASA NATIONAL
OVIP OTRA OPRC OSCI OTR OVP OREP ODIP OPDC OIIP OFFICIALS OSAC OAS OEXC OFDP OSCE OPIC OECD OPCW
PREL PHUM PGOV PINR PARM PBTS PHSA PTER PK PINS PSI PA PE PO PINT PL PSOE PU POL POLITICAL PARTIES PROP PBIO PECON PM PREF PAK POGOV PINL PKFK PGOF PMIL PTERE PF PALESTINIAN PY PGGV PNR POV PAO PFOR PHALANAGE PARTY PNAT POLITICS PEPR
QA
RS RU RW RO REGION RP RIGHTS RICE ROBERT RF RFE
SP SCUL SA SNAR SOCI SMIG SY SU SR SENV STEINBERG SN SO SF SG SW SL SHUM SZ SYR ST SANC SC SAN SIPRS SK SI
TW TU TSPA TRGY TI TX TS TC TERRORISM TPHY TIP TBIO TH TR TT TO TFIN TD TSPL TZ TK TNGD
UK UNGA UN UP UNO UZ UNMIK US UG UNSC USEU UV UY USUN UE UNESCO UAE UNEP USTR UNHCR UNDP UNHRC USAID UNCHS
VE VZ VT VTPREL VN VM
WI WTRO WTO WA WMO WTRQ WHO WWARD
XY XW XF XA XG XT XM XR XS XL XK XH XC XZ
YM YI YE
ZP ZR ZI ZU ZB ZK ZF ZANU ZOELLICK

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 07PRETORIA1712, LIMPOPO PROVINCE SPLIT OVER ZUMA AND MBEKI

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #07PRETORIA1712.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
07PRETORIA1712 | 2007-05-11 13:01 | 2010-12-08 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Pretoria

`

    VZCZCXRO2549
    RR RUEHMR RUEHRN
    DE RUEHSA #1712/01 1311332
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    R 111332Z MAY 07
    FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9757
    INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
    RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 4334
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
    RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

` `

    Friday, 11 May 2007, 13:32
    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 001712
    SIPDIS
    SIPDIS
    DEPT FOR AF/S
    EO 12958 DECL: 05/09/2017
    TAGS PGOV, PINR, SF
    SUBJECT: LIMPOPO PROVINCE SPLIT OVER ZUMA AND MBEKI
    Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Donald Teitelbaum. Reasons 1.4( b) and (d).
    ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. PolOff and PolAsst’s trip to Limpopo Province on 24 April confirmed press reports that Zuma’s camp has made inroads in gaining provincial support for Zuma as ANC President, but the province remains split and difficult to call. As expected, Zuma’s supporters were fervent but short on substance, never making a case for what Zuma would bring to the party as ANC President. Instead, they emphasized that the ANC as an institution is greater than the sum of its members, dismissing the importance of leadership in the process. END SUMMARY.
    ----------------------------------
    A LITTLE TASTE OF WHAT WAS TO COME
    ----------------------------------
    ¶2. (C) PolOff and PolAsst traveled to Limpopo Province on 24 April to gauge support for the upcoming ANC presidential election. Though several officials agreed to meet, some refused. Joshua Matlou, ANC Youth League (ANCYL) Provincial Chairperson, told PolAsst that “it would be useless for both of us since I would only talk about things that are in the newspaper.” Matlou added that ANC members do not trust American diplomats because “they have seen what the U.S. government does to elections in other countries when they do not like the locally preferred candidate.” Matlou believes this attitude cuts across the spectrum of ANC members. (NOTE:  With almost 53,000 ANC members, Limpopo is the ANC,s fourth-largest province after Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal. At the 2002 national conference, it fielded 324 candidates, almost twice those of the smallest province, the Northern Cape, but half that of the largest, Eastern Cape. Limpopo will host the December 2007 ANC conference where the next ANC President will be chosen. END NOTE)
    -------------------------------
    ANC LARGER THAN LIFE, LITERALLY
    -------------------------------
    ¶3. (C) ANC Provincial Secretary Cassel Mathale refused to be drawn into a conversation about who he supports for ANC President, even though he is widely reported to be pro-Zuma. Instead, Mathale, who was polite, persistent, and yet unpersuasive, argued that the ANC as a party is so strong that it does not matter who becomes President. He added that the ANC would soon be finishing what it started in 1994 -- building strong institutions so that no one person would have too much power. (COMMENT: This is likely a reference to next month’s ANC policy conference which will debate transferring some powers from the ANC President to the ANC Secretary General (septel). END COMMENT)
    ¶4. (C) Rosina Semenya, Provincial Minister for Public Works and the ANC Women’s League’s (ANCWL) Provincial Chairperson, echoed Mathale’s comments that the ANC as a party, institution, and culture is more important than any individual leader. When asked how the ANCWL and ANCYL work together at the provincial level given the ANCYL’s outspoken support of Zuma, Semenya surprisingly asked what was wrong with Zuma. She added that “people should be willing to overlook certain qualities if someone was brought up in ANC culture and tradition. That is what is most important.” To maintain and enrich this tradition, she told us the ANC is creating a policy institute to inculcate its members in ANC policies and that former controversial Limpopo Premier Ngoako Ramathlodi, who fell out of favor with Mbeki last year, is in charge of the project. XXXXXXXXXXXX END NOTE)
    ------------------------------------
    YOUTH LEAGUE: YOUR WORST BEST FRIEND
    ------------------------------------
    ¶5. (C) ANCYL Provincial Secretary Julius Malema, who was frank and friendly, started the conversation with stories of his “young pioneer” days when the ANC taught him how to use a gun 17 years ago, at the tender age of 9. He then boasted that Limpopo’s ANCYL has more members than any other province and is “100 percent united” in its support of Zuma. Malema never explained why he or the league supports Zuma, but did
    PRETORIA 00001712 002 OF 002
    admit that Zuma would likely not have been picked up by the ANCYL “if Mbeki hadn’t gone after him.” Malema stated matter of factly that Zuma is “a victim of a conspiracy similar to what would happen in American politics.” When PolOff politely challenged him about his analogy, he backed off and said, “Well, that’s how it’s portrayed in movies.” When asked what triggered the loss of Mbeki’s support from the ANCYL, he replied that “Mbeki thinks he’s too clever for all of us and he won’t engage with us.” In a subsequent aside, Malema admitted that ANCYL President Fikile Mbalula did not want to support Zuma during the rape trial but that the regional leadership insisted, arguing that if the YL defended Zuma on corruption charges, they could defend him on rape charges since both acts are immoral. He also hinted that Fikile was told his position depended on his support of Zuma.
    ¶6. (C) PolOff was shut down every time she tried to turn the discussion to other potential candidates. When asked about the possibility of a female successor, Malema dismissed the idea, saying South Africa needs a “man who is ahead on issues, but who can walk with the masses.” He also dismissed Tokyo Sexwale saying he had his chance. When asked if Tokyo’s involvement in big business soured the ANCYL, he said that he is not against the rich, just capitalists, but that Sexwale is not a capitalist “because he only owns shares of companies, not actual means of production.” (COMMENT: Malema wore a sweatshirt with NIKE emblazoned on it and also complained about the bank’s right to repossess his Audi if he does not make payments. END COMMENT) When asked what the league plans on doing if Zuma goes to jail, he said they would accept the decision and throw their support behind ANC Secretary General Kgalema Motlanthe. However, he added that
    SIPDIS though “Motlanthe is brilliant, you can’t understand anything he says.”
    ---------------------------------------
    LIMPOPO UNLIKELY TO LAY CARDS DOWN SOON
    ---------------------------------------
    ¶7. (C) Mathale told us that Limpopo will hold its provincial conference to declare its candidate for ANC President in late November or early December, but admitted that the province will know long before the conference where the regions stand.  In fact, soon after the June policy conference, the ANC will send out a communiqu urging regions to start sending in their preferred names and delegates. Semenya also said that Limpopo’s ANCWL has not yet set a date for its provincial conference, but will wait until after June’s policy conference as to not “distract from ANC policymaking.”
    ¶8. (C) Malema could not say when Limpopo would hold its regional conference, but did mention that the national ANCYL would not be holding a conference at all this year (in violation of its constitutional requirement to do so every three years), having already decided to support Zuma. Malema justified the position by echoing Fikile’s statements that the league “already has leaders in place who can influence the outcome and that they want to keep it that way.” When asked how this strategy differs from the ANC’s Eastern Cape youth league, which was “officially” disbanded in part because they had not held their regional conference in time, Malema said with a straight face that Eastern Cape postponed for a year, while the national level is only postponing six months. (COMMENT: Eastern Cape’s ANCYL branch was disbanded unofficially because of its support of Eastern Cape’s call for a third term for Mbeki. END COMMENT)
    -------
    COMMENT
    -------
    ¶9. (C) Despite the fact that most of those free (or willing) to talk with us were pro-Zuma, we should not overestimate his supporters’ bark nor discount the pro-Mbeki camp within the province. The ANCWL and ANCYL will have approximately 53 votes each for the entire country in December, likely a third to a quarter of Limpopo’s vote as a province. Moreover, heavyweights like Limpopo’s Premier Sello Moloto, ANC Regional Secretary David Magabe, and ANC Regional Chairperson Dickson Masemola are pro-Mbeki, having publicly declared their continuing support to the current elected leadership. Bost

`