US embassy cable - 03HARARE2246

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 002246 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR JFRAZER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2013 
TAGS: ECON, ELAB, PGOV, ZI 
SUBJECT: LABOR PLANS ANOTHER DEMONSTRATION 
 
REF: HARARE 2045 
 
Classified By: LABOFF KRBEL FOR REASONS 1.5 B & D 
 
1. (U)  Summary:  The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions 
(ZCTU), disillusioned with stayaways which bring no change, 
have instead begun to focus on a series of public 
demonstrations to focus attention on their plight (ref). 
ZCTU Secretary-General Wellington Chibebe has published calls 
for another National Protest on Tuesday, November 18, ahead 
of the upcoming GOZ budget announcement.  End summary. 
 
2. (U)  The text of the announcement, circulated via e-mail, 
reads:  "Dear Colleagues,  The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade 
Unions (ZCTU) would like to inform you that due to the 
deteriorating economic and political situation in Zimbabwe 
and government's lethargic approach to solving the crisis, it 
will be carrying out a National Protest countrywide on 
TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2003 AT 12:30 pm.  The Protest is on; 
High level of Taxation, Ever rising prices and the cost of 
living, and the Violation of Human and Trade Union Rights. 
The protest precedes the Natioanl (sic) Budget announcement 
on 20 November 2003.  The ZCTU therefore calls for support 
and solidarity from all cooperating partners so that together 
we can ultimately push government to act on the crisis in 
Zimbabwe.  Wellington Chibebe, Secretary General." 
 
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CONTINGENCY PLANNING FOR TARGETED LEADERS 
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3. (C)  Conversations with Chibebe indicate that the ZCTU's 
top leadership clearly expects to be arrested in advance of 
the protest.  The ZCTU has advised the police that they 
intend to hold the demonstration, and the police have already 
refused the ZCTU "permission" to protest.  However, the ZCTU 
also holds that it is not required to obtain permission and 
insists that the protest will go on as scheduled.  Chibebe 
states that the ZCTU has developed a network of "shadow" 
leaders, none of whom know each other's identity, who will 
ensure that the demonstration will go forward even in the 
absence of the elected leadership. 
 
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PUBLIC SCRUTINY PROTECTS DETAINEES 
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4. (C)  Chibebe also reports that the international attention 
paid to labor issues in Zimbabwe has proved immensely 
important in preventing widespread abuse of labor leaders 
even when they are arrested arbitrarily.  Immediate responses 
from international labor organizations such as COSATU, ICFTU, 
and the ILO, along with condemnation from governments and 
other international observers, apparently led to GOZ 
restraint during last month's protests.  Out of two hundred 
labor detainees, "only four" reported being beaten and abused 
-- two in Bulawayo were severely beaten, driven into the 
bush, and left for dead.  One of these victims, Samuel 
Khumalo, insists that he will be in the vanguard of the next 
demonstration, unless he is preemptively arrested.  By 
contrast, of the Harare detainees, not one was physically 
abused.  According to Chibebe, the Harare contingent were 
told by their police captors, We are under orders not to 
touch you... 
 
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COMMENT 
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5. (C)  Chibebe asks for continued international attention 
during the upcoming protest, which could easily result in 
ZANU-PF-led violence despite the ZCTU's best efforts to hold 
a peaceful demonstration.  Labor is deliberately increasing 
pressure on the GOZ by engaging in public protests, after 
stepping back from their previous strategy of calling for 
mass stayaways.  While labor could return to stayaways in the 
future, they now believe that continued work stoppages that 
result in no change hurt only the workers.  The new strategy 
of holding demonstrations against specific issues could well 
prove more effective.  If the GOZ subsequently reduces the 
tax burden for workers, the ZCTU can claim a tangible 
victory.  If not, the anticipated mass arrests of labor 
leaders increases the perception of GOZ anti-labor (and 
anti-worker) animus.  Labor leaders appear ready to risk 
their personal safety to move worker concerns back into the 
spotlight. 
Whitehead