US embassy cable - 00HARARE4695

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 004695 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/05 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, MOPS, ZI, CG 
SUBJECT:  WAR VETERANS REACT TO LAND EVICTIONS 
 
REF:  HARARE 4662 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMB. TOM MCDONALD.  REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  04695  01 OF 02  241456Z 
(D). 
 
SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) POLICE HAVE EVICTED WAR VETERANS FROM A NUMBER 
OF FARMS THIS WEEK, PROMPTING TWO DEMONSTRATIONS BY THE 
VETERANS THROUGH DOWNTOWN HARARE.  EVICTIONS WERE 
CONTINUING ON AUGUST 24, DESPITE AN UNCONFIRMED PRESS 
REPORT THAT THE CABINET HAD CALLED A HALT TO THE POLICE 
ACTIONS.  THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION WAS ENCOURAGED BY 
THE DEVELOPMENTS, BUT RESERVED JUDGMENT ON WHETHER THEY 
WOULD CONTINUE.  THE CFU WITHDREW ITS COURT ACTION 
AGAINST THE PRESIDENT AND OTHERS IN ORDER TO PRESERVE A 
CHANNEL OF DIALOGUE WITH THE GOZ, AND IS NOW TRYING TO 
FIND FINANCING TO ENABLE FARMERS TO PROCEED WITH THE 
PLANTING SEASON, BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 1.  WHETHER THE 
EVICTIONS CONTINUE WILL INDICATE WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT 
IS SERIOUS ABOUT ENDING THE OCCUPATIONS AND RESTORING 
THE RULE OF LAW.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U) AFTER POLICE EVICTED HUNDREDS OF WAR VETERANS 
FROM FOUR FARMS NEAR HARARE ON AUGUST 22, WAR VETERANS 
TOOK TO THE STREETS IN THE CAPITAL ON AUGUST 23 AND 24 
TO PROTEST THE POLICE ACTION.  IN ADDITION TO THE 
EVICTIONS REPORTED IN REFTEL, POLICE ON AUGUST 22 MOVED 
HUNDREDS OF ENCAMPED WAR VETERANS OFF OF FOUR FARMS IN 
KAMBUZUMA TOWNSHIP ON HARARE'S OUTSKIRTS AND TORE DOWN 
THEIR NEARLY COMPLETED CINDERBLOCK HOMES.  OTHER WOODEN 
STRUCTURES WERE BURNED.  STATE-RUN MEDIA WIDELY 
PUBLICIZED THE ACTION, WHICH THEY SAID HAD BEEN ORDERED 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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BY HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER JOHN NKOMO.  ON AUGUST 23, 
ABOUT 200 WAR VETERANS PROTESTED IN FRONT OF NKOMO'S 
OFFICE, DENOUNCING HIS ACTION WITH PLACARDS AND CHANTS. 
THE PROTESTERS PROCEEDED TO PARLIAMENT AND THE 
PRESIDENT'S OFFICE BEFORE DISPERSING. 
 
3.  (U) ON AUGUST 24, THE NORMALLY VITRIOLIC INFORMATION 
MINISTER JONATHAN MOYO ISSUED A RELATIVELY MILD 
STATEMENT OF "REGRET" FOR MONDAY'S POLICE ACTION, 
CRITICIZING THE POLICE METHODS BUT NOT THE EVICTIONS 
THEMSELVES.  MOYO FURTHER STATED THAT THE GOVERNMENT 
WOULD SEEK TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION FOR THE SQUATTERS 
WHOSE MAKESHIFT HOMES WERE DESTROYED.  SEVERAL HUNDRED 
WAR VETERANS TOOK TO HARARE'S STREETS AGAIN ON AUGUST 
24, MOVING DOWN SAMORA MICHEL AVENUE IN FRONT OF THE 
BUILDING HOUSING THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE AND THE FOREIGN 
MINISTRY.  POLOFFS WERE IN THE BUILDING AT THE TIME AND 
COULD CLEARLY HEAR THE VETERANS' SONGS AND CHANTS, 
SUGGESTING ZIMBABWE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE HEARING 
THEM AS WELL. 
 
4.  (U)  THE INDEPENDENT "FINANCIAL GAZETTE" REPORTED 
THAT AFTER A CABINET MEETING AUGUST 23, THE GOVERNMENT 
DECIDED TO END FURTHER POLICE ACTIONS AGAINST SQUATTERS. 
THE GAZETTE SUGGESTED THAT THE MEETING WAS HELD AFTER 
WAR VETERANS COMPLAINED TO MUGABE DIRECTLY UPON HIS 
AUGUST 22 RETURN FROM MAPUTO AND THAT A NUMBER OF 
UNNAMED CABINET MEMBERS WERE UNHAPPY WITH THE POLICE'S 
HEAVY-HANDED APPROACH.  WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CONFIRM 
THE GAZETTE'S REPORT OF THE CABINET DECISION, AND IN 
FACT WERE INFORMED BY THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION (CFU) 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        HARARE  04695  01 OF 02  241456Z 
THAT SQUATTER EVICTIONS ARE UNDERWAY ON AUGUST 24 ON 
FARMS IN MASHONALAND EAST AND MASHONALAND WEST 
PROVINCES. 
 
5. (C)  CFU DIRECTOR DAVID HASLUCK TOLD POLOFF ON AUGUST 23 
HE WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S ACTIONS, BUT 
RESERVED JUDGMENT ON WHETHER THE EVICTIONS WOULD 
CONTINUE.  HE SAID THE GOZ HAD INFORMED THE CFU EARLIER 
IN THE WEEK THAT ALL WAR VETERANS WOULD BE REMOVED FROM 
OCCUPIED FARMS WITHIN 10 DAYS, SCREENED, AND ASSIGNED TO 
FARMS IDENTIFIED FOR COMPULSORY ACQUISITION.  NOTING 
THAT EARLY SEPTEMBER IS A CRITICAL TIME FOR TOBACCO 
PLANTING, HASLUCK SAID THE CFU IS TRYING TO CONVINCE 
FARMERS NOT ON THE LIST OF 1,033 ALREADY IDENTIFIED TO 
PROCEED WITH PLANTING, AND IS WORKING FRANTICALLY TO 
SECURE FINANCING FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT.  HASLUCK 
INFORMED POLOFF THAT THE CFU HAD WITHDRAWN ITS COURT 
ACTION AGAINST PRESIDENT MUGABE, POLICE COMMISSIONER 
CHIHURI, AND WAR VETERANS LEADER HUNZVI IN THE HOPE THAT 
THIS WOULD ENSURE CONTINUED DIALOGUE WITH THE 
GOVERNMENT. 
 
6.  (C) COMMENT: THE EVENTS OF THE LAST FEW DAYS 
INDICATE THAT THE GOZ IS STILL TRYING TO COME TO GRIPS 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ2714 
 
PAGE 01        HARARE  04695  02 OF 02  241456Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    ACQ-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  DOTE-00  SRPP-00 
      DS-00    EB-00    FAAE-00  VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00 
      L-00     VCE-00   AC-01    NSAE-00  OMB-01   OPIC-01  PA-00 
      PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SP-00    SSO-00   TRSE-00 
      USIE-00  R-00     PMB-00   DSCC-00  PRM-01   DRL-02   G-00 
      NFAT-00  SAS-00   SWCI-00    /007W 
                  ------------------7D97B2  241457Z /38 
O 241454Z AUG 00 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6926 
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 004695 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/05 
TAGS:  PGOV, PREL, MOPS, ZI, CG 
SUBJECT:  WAR VETERANS REACT TO LAND EVICTIONS 
 
WITH ENDING THE FARM OCCUPATIONS IN A WAY THAT IS 
PALATABLE TO THOSE SYMPATHETIC TO THE WAR VETERANS.  IT 
IS STILL VERY UNCLEAR WHETHER THE GOZ WILL BE SUCCESSFUL 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  04695  02 OF 02  241456Z 
IN THIS EFFORT.  THE POLICE ACTIONS AND THEIR WIDESPREAD 
COVERAGE IN THE STATE-RUN MEDIA HAVE CROSSED THE LINE 
WITH SOME IN GOVERNMENT.  MOYO'S MILD STATEMENT AND 
OFFER FOR COMPENSATION, AND THE CONTINUING EVICTIONS IN 
SOME RURAL AREAS COULD BE A SIGN THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS 
NOT ABANDONED THE IDEA OF ENDING THE OCCUPATIONS 
ALTOGETHER.  WHETHER THE EVICTIONS CONTINUE OR NOT IN 
THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND WEEKS WILL INDICATE HOW SERIOUS 
THE GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT ENDING THE FARM OCCUPATIONS AND 
RESTORING THE RULE OF LAW. 
 
MCDONALD 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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