Zimbabwe and Wikileaks – Sir Richard Branson ‘Bankrolled’ Plan to Ease Out Mugabe
Oct. 13th, 2011
Sir Richard Branson last night denied a report in a leaked US embassy cable that he bankrolled a diplomatic effort to sweeten the exit of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, writes Alex Duval Smith in the Independent.
A confidential memo released by Wikileaks says that in July 2007, Branson was due to hold a secret meeting with South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela and other senior African statesmen to discuss persuading President Mugabe, now 87, to step down.
The initiative is said in the cable to have been brokered by Zimbabwean politician Jonathan Moyo, but never came to fruition. Last night Sir Richard Branson’s office acknowledged that he had been approached by Mr Moyo to discuss ”ways to broker a peaceful reconciliation in Zimbabwe” but no further action was taken.

