US embassy cable - 03HARARE1649

UNCLAS HARARE 001649 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT GOZ BANS NGOS FROM DISTRIBUTING FOOD 
RELIEF IN ZIM; HARARE 
 
  1.   Under headline "Merchants of hunger" the independent 
      daily "The Daily News" dedicated its August 20 
      editorial to denouncing the government of Zimbabwe 
      (GOZ) for ordering donor agencies in Zimbabwe to 
      surrender all food aid to village headman. 
      Excerpts: 
 
  2.   "Not content with the hunger and suffering imposed on 
      Zimbabweans by its ruinous land policies, the government is 
      now actively seeking to scuttle efforts by international 
      relief agencies to avert starvation in the country.  In 
      total disregard of assurances given last year by none other 
      than director James Morris that the government would not 
      interfere with food aid distribution, the government last 
      week ordered donor groups to surrender all food aid to 
      village headmen. . .most of them known ruling ZANU PF 
      supporters. . .Why the government wants to wrest control 
      over food distribution from non-governmental organizations 
      (NGOs), which have been operating without interference from 
      any quarter, only (Social Welfare Minister July) Moyo and 
      his comrades in the government know.  But knowing the 
      government's past record, Zimbabweans will be forgiven for 
      cynically concluding that this must be yet another attempt 
      by the ruling ZANU PF to maintain its stranglehold on 
      power.  In its strange logic of putting its own political 
      survival before everything else, the government clearly 
      sees food aid as a political tool with which to buy support 
      or punish opponents. . . ." 
 
SULLIVAN