US embassy cable - 00HARARE2199

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Identifier:	00HARARE2199
Wikileaks:	View 00HARARE2199 at Wikileaks.org
Origin:	Embassy Harare
Created:	2000-04-22 08:06:00
Classification:	CONFIDENTIAL
Tags:	PREL PGOV ZI
Redacted:	This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 002199 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y  (INFO ADDEES) 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF A/S SUSAN E. RICE, PDAS POWELL, 
DAS SCHNEIDMAN, AF/S DIRECTOR RENDER, DESK 
OFFICER GURNEY, SA/INS FOR STEVE KRAFT 
DEPT ALSO PASS AID 
NSC ALSO FOR GAYLE SMITH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/22/10 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ZI 
SUBJECT: EARLY WEEKEND UPDATE ON ZIMBABWE 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MCDONALD FOR REASONS 1.5 
(B), (D) 
 
1.  (C)  AS OF THE MORNING OF APRIL 22--ALMOST 
HALFWAY THROUGH THE LONG EASTER HOLIDAY WEEKEND - 
THE SITUATION IN HARARE IS FAIRLY QUIET, WITH 
SOME SIGNS OF LESSENING TENSIONS.  HARARE IS FINE 
AND ROADS ARE OPEN THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.  MOST 
NOTABLY, A PEACE MARCH IN DOWNTOWN HARARE ON 
APRIL 21, THE GOOD FRIDAY HOLIDAY, WENT OFF 
WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE MARCH WAS BILLED AS A 
RELIGION-BASED EVENT; ITS FOCUS WAS A PLEA FOR 
PEACE.  MARCHERS PROCEEDED UNDISRUPTED THROUGH 
THE DOWNTOWN AREA TO THE CENTRALLY LOCATED 
CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL, WHICH IS NEAR THE PARLIAMENT 
BUILDINGS.  IT IS A POSITIVE SIGN THAT POPULAR 
OPINION CONTINUES TO BE IN FAVOR OF CALMING THE 
SITUATION AND THAT THIS OPINION IS NOT BEING 
SUPPRESSED BY THE GOVERNMENT. 
 
2.  (C)  IN THE COUNTRYSIDE AS WELL THERE ARE 
SOME SIGNS THAT, AT A MINIMUM, THINGS ARE NOT 
GETTING WORSE.  WHILE A WORRISOME STATUS QUO 
PREVAILS--THE FARMS THAT HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED 
CONTINUE TO BE SO, THE FARMERS THAT HAVE FLED 
THEIR PROPERTIES ARE NOT RETURNING, FARM WORKERS 
ARE SUFFERING BEATINGS AND DISLOCATION, AND 
PROPERTY DESTRUCTION CONTINUES--WE HAVE HEARD NO 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  02199  221455Z 
REPORTS OF SERIOUS VIOLENCE. 
 
3.  (C)  ONE MEDIA REPORT EARLY TODAY INDICATED 
THE POLICE HAD HELPFULLY INTERVENED AT A FARM 
OCCUPATION SITE.  COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION HEAD 
TIM HENWOOD (PROTECT) TOLD US IN A TELEPHONE 
CONVERSATION THIS MORNING THAT THE POLICE HAD 
MADE SOME ATTEMPT, BUT IT WAS ONCE AGAIN A CASE 
OF TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.  HE EMPHASIZED THAT 
MEDIA REPORTS ARE NOT PICKING UP ON THE NUMEROUS 
AND SEVERE BEATINGS OF BLACK FARM WORKERS BY THE 
SO-CALLED 'WAR VETERANS' THAT ARE CONTINUING. 
HENWOOD ALSO SAID THE FUNERAL FOR MARTIN OLDS, 
THE SECOND FARMER TO BE KILLED, IS BEING HELD 
TODAY.  A LARGE GATHERING OF FARMERS IS EXPECTED 
FOR THE EVENT.  HENWOOD THOUGHT IT WOULD BE 
PEACEFUL. 
 
4. (C) IT ALSO IS RELATIVELY GOOD NEWS THAT 
MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE LEADER MORGAN 
TSVANGIRAI HAS RETURNED TO THE COUNTRY, HAS BEEN 
 
SIPDIS 
IN CONTACT WITH THE MEDIA, AND HAS NOT BEEN 
IMPEDED BY THE GOVERNMENT SO FAR.  THE EMBASSY 
HAS BEEN IN TOUCH WITH SOME OF OUR MDC CONTACTS 
AND HAVE HEARD NOTHING FROM THEM INDICATING 
UNUSUAL HARASSMENT.  AMBASSADOR MCDONALD HAS 
ARRANGED A MEETING WITH SENIOR MDC LEADERSHIP, 
INCLUDING TSVANGIRAI, WHICH WILL BE HELD ON APRIL 
25.  TSVANGIRAI AND OTHER LEADERS HAVE BEEN BUSY 
WITH THE FUNERALS OF THE RECENTLY SLAIN MDC 
MEMBERS, AMONG OTHER THINGS. 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        HARARE  02199  221455Z 
 
5. (U) SOME ROADBLOCKS WERE EXPECTED TODAY ON THE 
ROADS APPROACHING HARARE, BUT WE HAVE NOT SEEN 
ANY INDICATION OF AN UNUSUALLY HEAVY POLICE 
PRESENCE DOWNTOWN.  INDEED, PEDESTRIAN AND 
VEHICLE TRAFFIC APPEARS LIGHTER THAN USUAL FOR A 
SATURDAY, WITH MANY PEOPLE MAKING THEIR 
TRADITIONAL VISITS TO THEIR HOMES IN THE 
COUNTRYSIDE OVER THE FOUR DAY WEEKEND. 
 
MCDONALD 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
> 
@@@OASYS@@@ 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTO4968 
 
PAGE 01        HARARE  02199  220802Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    ACQ-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  SRPP-00  DS-00 
      VC-01    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   L-00     AC-01    NEA-00 
      NSAE-00  OMB-01   OPIC-01  PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00 
      P-00     SP-00    IRM-00   TRSE-00  USIE-00  SA-00    PMB-00 
      DSCC-00  DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00     /007W 
                  ------------------4EDA10  220802Z /38 
R 220806Z APR 00 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5814 
INFO NSC WASHDC 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 002199 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF A/S SUSAN E. RICE, PDAS POWELL, 
DAS SCHNEIDMAN, AF/S DIRECTOR RENDER, DESK 
OFFICER GURNEY, SA/INS FOR STEVE KRAFT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/22/10 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ZI 
 
SUBJECT: EARLY WEEKEND UPDATE ON ZIMBABWE 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MCDONALD FOR REASONS 1.5 
(B), (D) 
 
1.  (C)  AS OF THE MORNING OF APRIL 22--ALMOST 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  02199  220802Z 
HALFWAY THROUGH THE LONG EASTER HOLIDAY WEEKEND - 
THE SITUATION IN HARARE IS FAIRLY QUIET, WITH 
SOME SIGNS OF LESSENING TENSIONS.  HARARE IS FINE 
AND ROADS ARE OPEN THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.  MOST 
NOTABLY, A PEACE MARCH IN DOWNTOWN HARARE ON 
APRIL 21, THE GOOD FRIDAY HOLIDAY, WENT OFF 
WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE MARCH WAS BILLED AS A 
RELIGION-BASED EVENT; ITS FOCUS WAS A PLEA FOR 
PEACE.  MARCHERS PROCEEDED UNDISRUPTED THROUGH 
THE DOWNTOWN AREA TO THE CENTRALLY LOCATED 
CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL, WHICH IS NEAR THE PARLIAMENT 
BUILDINGS.  IT IS A POSITIVE SIGN THAT POPULAR 
OPINION CONTINUES TO BE IN FAVOR OF CALMING THE 
SITUATION AND THAT THIS OPINION IS NOT BEING 
SUPPRESSED BY THE GOVERNMENT. 
 
2.  (C)  IN THE COUNTRYSIDE AS WELL THERE ARE 
SOME SIGNS THAT, AT A MINIMUM, THINGS ARE NOT 
GETTING WORSE.  WHILE A WORRISOME STATUS QUO 
PREVAILS--THE FARMS THAT HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED 
CONTINUE TO BE SO, THE FARMERS THAT HAVE FLED 
THEIR PROPERTIES ARE NOT RETURNING, FARM WORKERS 
ARE SUFFERING BEATINGS AND DISLOCATION, AND 
PROPERTY DESTRUCTION CONTINUES--WE HAVE HEARD NO 
REPORTS OF SERIOUS VIOLENCE. 
 
3.  (C)  ONE MEDIA REPORT EARLY TODAY INDICATED 
THE POLICE HAD HELPFULLY INTERVENED AT A FARM 
OCCUPATION SITE.  COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION HEAD 
TIM HENWOOD (PROTECT) TOLD US IN A TELEPHONE 
CONVERSATION THIS MORNING THAT THE POLICE HAD 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  02199  220802Z 
MADE SOME ATTEMPT, BUT IT WAS ONCE AGAIN A CASE 
OF TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.  HE EMPHASIZED THAT 
MEDIA REPORTS ARE NOT PICKING UP ON THE NUMEROUS 
AND SEVERE BEATINGS OF BLACK FARM WORKERS BY THE 
SO-CALLED 'WAR VETERANS' THAT ARE CONTINUING. 
HENWOOD ALSO SAID THE FUNERAL FOR MARTIN OLDS, 
THE SECOND FARMER TO BE KILLED, IS BEING HELD 
TODAY.  A LARGE GATHERING OF FARMERS IS EXPECTED 
FOR THE EVENT.  HENWOOD THOUGHT IT WOULD BE 
PEACEFUL. 
 
4. (C) IT ALSO IS RELATIVELY GOOD NEWS THAT 
MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE LEADER MORGAN 
TSVANGIRAI HAS RETURNED TO THE COUNTRY, HAS BEEN 
 
SIPDIS 
IN CONTACT WITH THE MEDIA, AND HAS NOT BEEN 
IMPEDED BY THE GOVERNMENT SO FAR.  THE EMBASSY 
HAS BEEN IN TOUCH WITH SOME OF OUR MDC CONTACTS 
AND HAVE HEARD NOTHING FROM THEM INDICATING 
UNUSUAL HARASSMENT.  AMBASSADOR MCDONALD HAS 
ARRANGED A MEETING WITH SENIOR MDC LEADERSHIP, 
INCLUDING TSVANGIRAI, WHICH WILL BE HELD ON APRIL 
25.  TSVANGIRAI AND OTHER LEADERS HAVE BEEN BUSY 
WITH THE FUNERALS OF THE RECENTLY SLAIN MDC 
MEMBERS, AMONG OTHER THINGS. 
 
5. (U) SOME ROADBLOCKS WERE EXPECTED TODAY ON THE 
ROADS APPROACHING HARARE, BUT WE HAVE NOT SEEN 
ANY INDICATION OF AN UNUSUALLY HEAVY POLICE 
PRESENCE DOWNTOWN.  INDEED, PEDESTRIAN AND 
VEHICLE TRAFFIC APPEARS LIGHTER THAN USUAL FOR A 
SATURDAY, WITH MANY PEOPLE MAKING THEIR 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        HARARE  02199  220802Z 
TRADITIONAL VISITS TO THEIR HOMES IN THE 
COUNTRYSIDE OVER THE FOUR DAY WEEKEND. 
 
MCDONALD 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
>