US embassy cable - 00HARARE5838

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 005838 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 
USDOC FOR DHENKE-ROGERS 
LONDON FOR CGURNEY 
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 
PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD - DWELLER, AFR/SA - CPALMA, 
NNEWMAN, AA/AFR - VDERRYCK, AND A/AID - RMCCALL 
 
USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL 09/20/10 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  05838  01 OF 02  131204Z 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, EAGR, PREL, EAID, ZI, Land Reform 
SUBJECT: TENSIONS ON COMMERCIAL FARMS CONTINUE 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY CDA EARL IRVING.  REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: THE SITUATION ON COMMERCIAL FARMS 
REMAINS TENSE, WITH NEW OCCUPATIONS AND FEW EVICTIONS OF 
LONG-STANDING SQUATTERS BEING CARRIED OUT.  THE ACTIONS 
OF THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE (GOZ) AND THE ZIMBABWE 
REPUBLIC POLICE (ZRP) CONTINUE TO BE INCONSISTENT AND 
INCOHERENT.  COMMERCIAL FARMERS HAVE MANAGED TO PLANT 
SOME CROPS, ALBEIT FEWER HECTARES.  FARM WORKERS ARE 
GETTING INCREASINGLY ANGRY AS THE CONTINUATION OF THE 
STATUS QUO THREATENS THEIR LIVELIHOODS.  HOME AFFAIRS 
MINISTER NKOMO MET WITH THE CFU IN KAROI DISTRICT ON 
OCTOBER 11 AND STATED THAT FARM INVADERS SHOULD NOT 
INTERFERE WITH THE COMMERCIAL FARMERS' PLANTING OF 
CROPS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C) ECONOFF MET ON OCTOBER 12 WITH OFFICIALS OF THE 
COMMERCIAL FARMERS UNION (CFU) TO DISCUSS THE CURRENT 
SITUATION ON COMMERCIAL FARMS. 
 
--------------------------- 
ONGOING AND NEW OCCUPATIONS 
--------------------------- 
 
3. (C) ACCORDING TO THE CFU THERE ARE CURRENTLY BETWEEN 
900 AND 1000 OCCUPIED FARMS.  THIS IS DOWN FROM A HIGH 
OF AROUND 1700 FARMS INVADED DURING THE RUN-UP TO 
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS LAST JUNE.  TWO TO THREE NEW 
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PAGE 03        HARARE  05838  01 OF 02  131204Z 
FARMS HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED EVERY WEEK, BUT THESE 
OCCUPATIONS DO NOT ALL BECOME PERMANENT.  SOMETIMES THE 
OCCUPIERS LEAVE THE FARMS AFTER ONLY A FEW DAYS. 
ACCORDING TO THE CFU, 10-15 PERCENT OF THE OCCUPIERS ARE 
WAR VETERANS, AND THE REMAINDER ARE POOR, LANDLESS 
ZIMBABWEANS FROM THE COMMUNAL AREAS THAT ARE CLOSE TO 
THE OCCUPIED FARMS. 
 
---------------------------------- 
MIXED SIGNALS FROM THE GOZ AND ZRP 
---------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) GOZ OFFICIALS AND THE ZRP CONTINUE TO SEND MIXED 
SIGNALS REGARDING THE FARM INVASIONS AND THE RULE OF 
LAW.  IN SOME PROVINCES, GOZ OFFICIALS, FROM GOVERNORS 
ON DOWN, HAVE STATED THAT NO MORE FARM OCCUPATIONS WILL 
BE TOLERATED, AND THE ZRP ARE ACTING TO PREVENT NEW 
OCCUPATIONS, AS WELL AS ASSOCIATED CRIMINAL ACTS.  IN 
OTHER PROVINCES, THE OPPPOSITE IS OCCURRING.  AN EXAMPLE 
IS MASHONALAND CENTRAL, WHERE THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR 
HAS TOLD OWNERS OF FARMS LISTED FOR SEIZURE NOT TO 
PLANT.  THE CFU CONTINUES TO RECEIVE NUMEROUS REPORTS 
FROM FARMERS THAT COMPLAINTS TO THE LOCAL POLICE 
CONSTABLES ABOUT CRIMINALITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE FARM 
OCCUPATIONS ARE OFTEN MET WITH ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT WHAT 
IS OCCURRING IS ILLEGAL, BUT THAT IT IS A POLITICAL 
ISSUE AND THEIR HANDS ARE TIED. 
 
------------------------------------ 
MOST FARMERS HAVE PLANTED SOME CROPS 
------------------------------------ 
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PAGE 04        HARARE  05838  01 OF 02  131204Z 
 
5. (C) ACCORDING TO THE CFU, ALMOST ALL THEIR MEMBERS 
HAVE MANAGED TO PLANT SOME CROPS.  WHILE THE MAJORITY OF 
FARMERS CONTINUE TO BE DENIED NEW FINANCING BY BANKS 
BECAUSE OF THE UNSETTLED SITUATION, THEY HAVE MANAGED TO 
SCRAPE TOGETHER THE RESOURCES TO PLANT SMALLER CROPS. 
MANY TOBACCO FARMERS FOR INSTANCE, ARE PLANTING FEWER 
HECTARES.  BECAUSE THEY ARE ALSO PLANTING LATE, THEY 
WILL BE PUTTING IN ONLY ONE TOBACCO CROP INSTEAD OF THE 
NORMAL TWO.  THE CFU ESTIMATES THAT 50 PERCENT FEWER 
HECTARES OF MAIZE WILL BE PLANTED, PRINCIPALLY BECAUSE 
THIS IS A CROP WITH A HIGH RATE OF THEFT, AND FARMERS 
FEAR THAT THEIR CROPS WILL BE STOLEN AT HARVEST TIME. 
WHILE MOST FARMERS HAVE MANAGED TO FIND THE MONEY TO 
PLANT, THE CFU FEARS THAT BY JANUARY MANY WILL RUN OUT 
OF MONEY FOR INPUTS NEEDED TO TEND AND HARVEST THEIR 
CROPS, UNLESS THE BANKS ARE PERSUADED TO LOAN TO THEM. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
TENSIONS ARE RISING AMONG FARM WORKERS 
-------------------------------------- 
 
6. (C)  ACCORDING TO THE CFU, THE MAJORITY OF 
ALTERCATIONS ON FARMS HAVE BEEN SPARKED BY INCREASING 
 
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                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ7655 
 
PAGE 01        HARARE  05838  02 OF 02  131204Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AGRE-00  AID-00   AMAD-00  ACQ-00   CIAE-00 
      DODE-00  SRPP-00  DS-00    EB-00    EUR-00   VC-00    FRB-00 
      H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    L-00     VCE-00   AC-01 
      NSAE-00  OIC-02   OMB-01   OPIC-01  PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00 
      ACE-00   P-00     SP-00    STR-00   USIE-00  R-00     PMB-00 
      DSCC-00  PRM-01   DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00     /009W 
                  ------------------914467  131204Z /38 
P 131204Z OCT 00 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7364 
INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 
DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC 
USDOC WASHDC 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 005838 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 
USDOC FOR DHENKE-ROGERS 
LONDON FOR CGURNEY 
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 
PASS USAID FOR AFR/SD - DWELLER, AFR/SA - CPALMA, 
NNEWMAN, AA/AFR - VDERRYCK, AND A/AID - RMCCALL 
 
USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL 09/20/10 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  05838  02 OF 02  131204Z 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, EAGR, PREL, EAID, ZI 
SUBJECT: TENSIONS ON COMMERCIAL FARMS CONTINUE 
 
ANGER AND FRUSTRATION AMONG FARM WORKERS, WHO ARE FED UP 
WITH THE ABUSE BEING VISITED ON THEM BY WAR VETERANS. 
SINCE THE GOZ IS LARGELY DOING NOTHING TO PROTECT THEM, 
THEY ARE TAKING ACTION IN SELF-DEFENSE TO PROTECT THEIR 
OWN LIVELIHOODS.  THE CFU BELIEVES THAT MORE VIOLENCE IS 
INEVITABLE AS THE CROP SEASON CONTINUES. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
THE CFU AND HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER NKOMO MEET IN KAROI 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
7. (C) IN ONE PROMISING DEVELOPMENT HOME AFFAIRS 
MINISTER NKOMO AND POLICE COMMISSIONER CHIHURI MET ON 
OCTOBER 11 IN KAROI, ONE OF THE AREAS WORST-HIT BY LAND 
RELATED VIOLENCE, WITH CFU EXECUTIVES, LOCAL FARMERS, 
LOCAL BUSINESS PEOPLE, AND WAR VETERANS WHO HAVE BEEN 
OCCUPYING NEARBY COMMERCIAL FARMS.  NKOMO TOLD THE 
GATHERING THAT THE FARMERS SHOULD GO AHEAD WITH THEIR 
PLANTING AND THAT THE FARM OCCUPIERS SHOULD NOT 
INTERFERE.  HE ALSO SAID THAT THE OCCUPIERS SHOULD STAY 
PUT WHERE THEY ARE, AND THAT THEY WILL BE RESETTLED ON 
LAND AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.  COMMISSIONER CHIHURI TOLD 
THE ASSEMBLED GROUP THAT THE FARMERS, FARM WORKERS, AND 
WAR VETERANS SHOULD AVOID CONFRONTATIONS, AND THAT THE 
ZRP WOULD ARREST PEOPLE WHO INTERFERE WITH FARMING 
ACTIVITIES OR COMMIT OTHER CRIMES ON THE LAND ON WHICH 
THEY ARE SQUATTING.  THE CFU BELIEVED THIS WAS A 
PRODUCTIVE MEETING THAT MIGHT RESULT IN SOME REDUCTION 
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PAGE 03        HARARE  05838  02 OF 02  131204Z 
IN LAWLESSNESS IN THE AREA, WHICH HAS BEEN EXACERBATED 
BY THE DISTRICT POLICE CHIEF, A FORMER WAR VETERAN WHO 
OPENLY SYMPATHIZES WITH THE LAND OCCUPIERS. 
 
8. COMMENT: IT IS CLEAR THAT THE SITUATION ON COMMERCIAL 
FARMS HAS ONLY MARGINALLY IMPROVED.  ALTHOUGH THE GOZ 
HAS STATED THAT NO MORE FARM INVASIONS WILL BE ALLOWED, 
NEW OCCUPATIONS CONTINUE TO OCCUR.  THE RESPONSE BY 
POLICE TO CRIMINAL ACTS OCCURRING ON OCCUPIED FARMS 
VARIES WIDELY BY DISTRICT AND PROVINCE.  MOST FARMERS 
ARE PLANTING, BUT DOING SO UNDER THE MENACING EYES OF 
WAR VETERANS ON THEIR LANDS, AND ARE CONCERNED THAT THEY 
MAY NOT GET THE FINANCING TO HARVEST THE CROP THEY ARE 
PUTTING IN THE GROUND.  THE CFU MEETING WITH MINISTER 
NKOMO IN KAROI WOULD APPEAR TO BE A PROMISING SIGN, BUT, 
AS ALWAYS, WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS ON THE GROUND WILL 
MATTER MUCH MORE THAN GOVERNMENT PROMISES.  THERE ARE NO 
INDICATIONS THAT THE GOZ IS LOOKING FOR A WAY TO COME TO 
AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CFU ON A LAND REFORM PROGRAM THAT 
BOTH PARTIES COULD ACCEPT AND WOULD RESTORE THE RULE OF 
LAW.  AGRICULTURE MINISTER MADE, FOR EXAMPLE, REFUSES TO 
MEET WITH THE CFU.  WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE INCREASING 
TENSIONS AND UNCERTAINTY SO LONG AS THE GOZ REFUSES TO 
DEVELOP A FAIR, TRANSPARENT LAND REFORM PROGRAM AND 
CONTINUES TO USE THE LAND ISSUE PRIMARILY AS A POLITICAL 
TOOL.  END COMMENT. 
 
IRVING 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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